Animals · California
the short answer
The law treats your animal as property, so the claim is the same one you would bring over a damaged car, and you have three years to file it. California is unusual in saying out loud that this is not always enough: where somebody hurt your animal deliberately, or was grossly careless with it, a court may award damages beyond what the animal was worth.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
governing statute
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what you can recover
Start from what the animal was worth as property, which for a family pet is usually a small number and is the part people are not expecting. California then adds something most states do not: for wrongful injuries to animals committed wilfully or by gross negligence, in disregard of humanity, a court may give exemplary damages on top. That is a statute, not an argument -- but it needs wilfulness or gross negligence, so ordinary carelessness does not reach it. (Cal. Civ. Code § 3340)
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
limit
3 years
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
small claims limit
$12,500
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
exceptions: $6,250 if you are suing as a business rather than as a person.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
your situation
Everything above is the law as it reaches everyone in California. What it means for you turns on facts only you have. Tell us what happened and we'll ask the same questions a lawyer would — about 90 seconds, free, and anonymous.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Written by an AI model, which can be wrong. Not a lawyer, and not a prediction about your case. Terms · Privacy
someone hurting my pet — state by state →other claims in this state →
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