Liability & Negligence

Contributory Negligence

A legal doctrine that completely bars recovery if the plaintiff was even partially at fault for their injuries.

In Personal Injury Cases

California does NOT follow contributory negligence. Only a few states still use this harsh rule. California uses comparative negligence instead.

This term belongs to the Liability & Negligence category and is part of our machine-readable California injury-law glossary.

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A legal doctrine that reduces a plaintiff's damages by their percentage of fault in causing the accident.

Our attorneys can explain how contributory negligence applies to your specific case.

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