Negligence
California's four-element framework, duty under Civil Code § 1714, negligence per se, res ipsa loquitur, and strict liability distinctions.
Tort
Civil wrongs in personal injury law, types of torts, tort vs. crime, California's framework under Civil Code § 1708, and tort reform.
Proximate Cause
California's substantial factor test, the eggshell plaintiff rule, superseding causes, and medical probability standard for causation experts.
Comparative Fault
Pure vs. modified comparative fault, California's pure system, Proposition 51 joint and several liability limits, and state-by-state variations.
Contributory Negligence
The all-or-nothing fault bar, which states still use it, and how California replaced it with pure comparative fault in 1975.
Damages
Economic vs. non-economic damages, California's MICRA cap, punitive damages under Civil Code § 3294, and the collateral source rule.
Statute of Limitations
California's 2-year SOL under CCP § 335.1, discovery rule, government claims deadlines, tolling rules, and all-state variations.
Tolling
Legal pause in the SOL, minority tolling under CCP § 352, incapacity tolling, the government claims deadline trap, and equitable tolling.
Discovery Rule
How the discovery rule delays the SOL start date, Jolly v. Eli Lilly's suspicion standard, MICRA's medical malpractice application, and tolling distinctions.