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.)

While most construction contractors and material suppliers know about serving the preliminary 20-day notice in order to qualify for a mechanic’s lien and/or stop notice, few focus on the proof of service requirement in California Civil Code section 3097.1(a).