Individual homeowners, and homeowner’s associations (and HOA management companies), should continue to pay close attention to property conditions that may pose a significant risk of injury to guests and visitors.

Under certain circumstances, an injured person working in your home can file a civil lawsuit against you as the homeowner, rather than being limited to workers compensation. A recent California Supreme Court decision held that this is the case and defined the standard of care to be used in a case brought by an injured employee working on a homeowner’s substantial remodeling project. (Cortez v. Abich (2011) 51 Cal. 4th 285.)

Should the duty of drivers to exercise ordinary care for others in their use of streets and highways include truck drivers parked alongside a freeway? The Supreme Court of California’s recent decision in Cabral v. Ralphs Grocery Company (Feb. 28, 2011) No S178799, concerning an automobile/truck accident found no exception for truckdrivers.

The California Court of Appeal recently found that a plaintiff’s election to proceed far into their lawsuit waived their contractual right to arbitrate the dispute.

California law provides broad immunity from civil liability for a social host who “furnishes alcoholic beverages to any person,” as many Californians do at their house parties. (Civil Code section 1714 (c).) However, a social host loses that immunity if he or she “sells, or causes to be sold, any alcoholic beverage, to any obviously intoxicated minor.” (Business and Professions Code section 25602.1.)