The multiplier method with California's actual rules applied: pure comparative negligence, a 2-year filing window. Every statute cited and linked, every line of arithmetic shown.
Based on the multiplier method used by insurers and attorneys. This is an educational estimate, not legal advice. Every claim is different.
You recover at any fault level, even 99%, with the award reduced by your percentage. California adopted the pure rule by decision, not statute. (Li v. Yellow Cab Co., 13 Cal.3d 804 (1975))
2 years for personal injury (Code Civ. Proc. §335.1). The clock is jurisdictional. One day late and no court will hear the case.
At-fault state, no PIP mandate.
Minimum liability coverage: 30/60/15, meaning $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident, $15,000 property damage (raised effective Jan 1, 2025; scheduled to rise again to 50/100/25 in 2035). (Veh. Code §16056 (SB 1107)) Policy limits are the practical ceiling on most settlements, which is why identifying every available policy (including your own underinsured-motorist coverage) matters.
If you owned or drove the vehicle uninsured, California bars your non-economic damages entirely. Medical bills and lost wages remain recoverable, but the pain-and-suffering layer is gone (exception: you were hit by a DUI driver). For uninsured Californians this single statute reshapes the whole claim. (Civ. Code §3333.4)
The same multiplier method used everywhere, so (medical bills + lost wages) × a 1.5–5× severity multiplier + property damage. Then California's fault rule is applied: You recover at any fault level, even 99%, with the award reduced by your percentage. California adopted the pure rule by decision, not statute. The calculator on this page runs exactly that math and prints every line.
2 years for personal injury (Code Civ. Proc. §335.1). Miss the deadline and the claim is barred permanently, no matter how strong it is. Claims against government entities often have much shorter notice requirements.
At-fault state, no PIP mandate.
Compensatory damages: No cap in ordinary injury cases. Medical malpractice (MICRA, as amended 2022): Non-economic damages capped at $470,000 for injury and $650,000 for wrongful death in 2026. The caps rise annually ($40k/$50k per year) until they reach $750,000/$1,000,000 in 2033.