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What Is Comparative Fault In California Personal Injury Cases

By California Personal Injury Attorneys · May 21, 2026

Comparative fault is California's rule that reduces your recovery by your percentage of blame—even if you're mostly at fault. Learn how it works in Los Angeles personal injury cases.

Comparative fault in California personal injury cases means that even if you are partially to blame for an accident, you can still recover damages. Your award is reduced by your percentage of fault under California's pure comparative negligence rule, allowing recovery even if you are more than 50% at fault. When an accident happens in Los Angeles, fault is rarely black and white. California applies a legal principle called comparative fault—also known as pure comparative negligence—which allows injured people to recover damages even when they share some responsibility for the collision.…