California
What California law says about deposits, firings, overtime, collectors and accidents — and where each claim gets filed.
7 guides written for this state
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| claim | time to file | penalty | statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landlord & tenant a landlord keeping my deposit | — | Bad faith retention: statutory damages of up to twice the deposit, on top of actual damages (§ 1950.5(m)).↗✓ | Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5✓ |
| Employment unpaid overtime | 3 years↗ | The unpaid balance of the overtime, with interest, costs of suit and a reasonable attorney's fee — and no agreement to work for a lesser wage is a defence (§ 1194(a)).↗ | Cal. Lab. Code § 510 |
| Consumer a debt collector harassing me | — | Actual damages, and for a willful and knowing violation a penalty the court sets at not less than $100 and not more than $1,000 on top. The prevailing party is entitled to the costs of the action (Cal. Civ. Code § 1788.30).↗ | Cal. Civ. Code § 1788.17 |
| Employment being fired for complaining | — | — | — |
| Personal property someone taking my property | 3 years↗ | Three times your actual damages, plus costs of suit and reasonable attorney's fees, where the property was stolen and someone received, concealed or withheld it knowing that. No criminal charge or conviction is needed to bring it. (Cal. Penal Code § 496(c))↗ | Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 338(c) |
| Animals someone hurting my pet | 3 years↗ | — | Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 338(c) |
| Injury a car accident | 2 years↗ | — | Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1 |
time to file · 4 of 7 jurisdictions carry this column.
penalty · 4 of 7 jurisdictions carry this column.
statute · 6 of 7 jurisdictions carry this column.
Every value links to the primary source it was written from. A value with no “checked” date has been written from that source but not yet compared against it by a person.
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