Beverly Hills Personal Injury Lawyer

Under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, injured victims have two years from the date of their injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. If the defendant is a government entity — such as the City of Beverly Hills or LA County — you must first file a government tort claim within six months under Government Code § 911.2, or your lawsuit is permanently barred. Missing either deadline eliminates your right to compensation regardless of how strong your case is. A Beverly Hills personal injury attorney at Compass Law Group can evaluate your deadlines during a free consultation — call (310) 879-5436 to verify your deadline.

California follows a pure comparative fault system under Civil Code § 1714 and § 1431.2 (Proposition 51), meaning you can recover compensation even if you were partially at fault for your accident. Your total damages award is reduced by your percentage of fault — so if you were 25% at fault for a collision on Wilshire Boulevard, you recover 75% of your proven damages. Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are allocated among defendants proportionally under Proposition 51. Our Beverly Hills car accident lawyers explain how comparative fault applies to your specific facts — contact Compass Law Group for a case evaluation.

Yes. California Civil Code § 1714(a) imposes a duty of reasonable care on all property owners and occupiers toward lawful visitors, including guests at luxury hotels on Sunset Boulevard and shoppers in Rodeo Drive boutiques. Liability attaches when the owner knew or reasonably should have known about a hazardous condition — such as a wet marble floor or broken entryway step — and failed to repair or adequately warn of it. Beverly Hills premises liability cases are filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court‘s West District. Compass Law Group handles slip and fall cases throughout Beverly Hills.

California personal injury plaintiffs may recover economic damages — including medical expenses, lost wages, and future care costs — as well as non-economic damages for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life under Civil Code § 3333. In cases involving willful misconduct, such as a drunk driver on Santa Monica Boulevard, punitive damages may also be available under Civil Code § 3294 when clear and convincing evidence of malice or oppression exists. All categories of damages must be established by competent evidence presented to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Our attorneys build comprehensive damage models to maximize recovery for every client.

Under California Vehicle Code § 17151, a vehicle owner is vicariously liable for injuries caused by anyone driving with their permission, and the valet company and employing establishment share liability through respondeat superior when their employee causes a crash on the clock. Los Angeles County courts regularly hold restaurants, hotels, and parking operators jointly responsible for valet-caused collisions on Canon Drive, Beverly Drive, and surrounding streets. Multiple parties — the valet company, the property owner, and the vehicle owner — may each owe separate insurance coverage. A Beverly Hills car accident attorney can identify all liable parties.

Yes. California Vehicle Code § 21950 requires motorists to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in both marked and unmarked crosswalks, and a violation establishes negligence per se under the Civil Code § 1714 framework — meaning the legal violation itself constitutes evidence of fault without requiring further proof of unreasonable conduct. Beverly Hills has heavily trafficked pedestrian corridors along North Beverly Drive, South Santa Monica Boulevard, and the Beverly Hills Golden Triangle that are frequently the site of driver-pedestrian collisions. Police reports from the Beverly Hills Police Department are critical evidence in these cases. Learn more about pedestrian accident claims — call (310) 879-5436.

Call 911 to report the crash to the Beverly Hills Police Department, seek prompt medical evaluation even if you feel no immediate pain, and document the scene with photographs of vehicle damage, road conditions, and any visible injuries before evidence disappears. California Evidence Code § 1152 bars the use of settlement offers as admissions of liability, so insurers will look for gaps in your medical treatment history to argue your injuries were pre-existing or unrelated to the crash. Preserve all medical records, repair estimates, and witness contact information from the outset. Contact a Beverly Hills car accident lawyer as early as possible — call (310) 879-5436.

Yes. California Public Utilities Code § 5431 and Insurance Code § 11580.1b require transportation network companies to maintain $1 million in liability coverage when a driver is actively transporting a passenger, making TNC coverage far greater than standard personal auto policies. Whether you were a passenger, a pedestrian, or another motorist struck by a rideshare driver on Beverly Hills streets, you may have direct claims against both the individual driver and the company under California’s vicarious liability rules. Los Angeles County Superior Court handles a high volume of rideshare injury cases given the region’s concentration of TNC activity. Our Beverly Hills attorneys evaluate rideshare claims — call us 24/7.

California Code of Civil Procedure § 377.60 permits the surviving spouse, domestic partner, and children of the deceased to file a wrongful death action, and if none exist, any heir entitled to the decedent’s property under intestate succession may also bring a claim. A separate survival action under CCP § 377.30 allows the estate to recover damages the decedent suffered between the injury and death, including medical costs and lost earnings. Both claims must generally be filed within two years of death under CCP § 335.1, and they are litigated in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Compass Law Group represents families pursuing wrongful death matters throughout Beverly Hills.

Government entities can be held liable for dangerous conditions on public property under California Government Code § 835, but the claims process differs significantly from standard personal injury cases — you must file a written government tort claim with the responsible agency within six months of the incident under Government Code § 911.2. If Beverly Hills or LA County denies or ignores your claim, you then have six months to file suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Injuries on cracked sidewalks, poorly marked crosswalks, and LA County-maintained roads on the Beverly Hills border all potentially qualify. An attorney can file the mandatory government claim on your behalf before the deadline expires.

Yes. California Civil Code § 3342 imposes strict liability on dog owners for bites occurring in public places or when the victim was lawfully on private property — there is no one-bite rule requiring proof that the owner knew the dog was dangerous. A single bite in Coldwater Canyon Park or on a private Beverly Hills estate triggers full owner liability for medical expenses, scarring, and emotional trauma. Beverly Hills Municipal Code supplements state law with local leash requirements, and violations can further support a negligence per se claim. Dog bite cases in Beverly Hills are filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

California’s Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act caps non-economic damages at $350,000 for medical malpractice claims involving injured patients and increases annually under AB 35 starting in 2023. The statute of limitations under CCP § 340.5 is three years from injury or one year from discovery of the negligent act, whichever occurs first. Cases involving Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and other facilities adjacent to Beverly Hills are filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and require expert testimony under Evidence Code § 801 to establish the applicable standard of care. Our Beverly Hills attorneys evaluate potential medical negligence claims and connect clients with board-certified experts.

Yes. California Insurance Code § 11580.2 requires every auto insurance policy issued in the state to include uninsured motorist coverage unless waived in writing, providing compensation for your economic and non-economic losses when the at-fault driver carried no policy or fled the scene. Underinsured motorist coverage applies when the at-fault driver’s limits are too low to fully compensate your injuries — a common situation in high-value Beverly Hills accident claims. Your own insurer may contest the value of your UM/UIM claim just as aggressively as an adverse carrier. A Beverly Hills car accident lawyer can negotiate or arbitrate your uninsured motorist claim to maximize your recovery.

California does not cap pain and suffering damages in standard personal injury cases — only medical malpractice claims are subject to MICRA limits — and Los Angeles County juries apply either a per diem method assigning a daily dollar value to ongoing suffering or a multiplier of 1.5 to 5 times economic damages depending on injury severity. Under Civil Code § 3333, non-economic damages must be reasonable and are supported at trial by medical records, treating physician testimony, and plaintiff testimony describing how injuries have affected daily life. Insurance adjusters routinely undervalue these damages in initial offers, particularly in Beverly Hills cases involving high-income plaintiffs with documented lifestyle impact. Our attorneys build the evidentiary record needed to support full non-economic damage awards.

Personal injury cases originating in Beverly Hills are generally filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court‘s West District, located at the Beverly Hills Courthouse at 9355 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, which handles civil cases with damages below $25,000 in limited jurisdiction and unlimited civil matters. Cases requiring complex litigation — including multi-defendant accident claims and wrongful death actions — may be assigned to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 111 N. Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles or the Spring Street Courthouse. LA County Superior Court is one of the largest trial court systems in the nation, and experienced Beverly Hills personal injury attorneys navigate its procedures and local rules daily. Compass Law Group files and litigates cases across all relevant courthouses from throughout Los Angeles County.