Surviving Debt
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Debtor Rights Resources
Access to Utility Service
Chapter 4 Metering Issues: Metering Errors, Master Metering, Submetering, Prepayment Meters, Advanced Meters
State Laws Governing Utility Submetering: California
Chapter 7: Utility Affordability Programs: Description and Implementation
The California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) discount program
Appendix A: State Regulation of Utilities
- A.1 Summary of Utility Commission Regulations: California
- A.5 State-By-State Extreme Temperature Protections: California
- A.6 State-By-State Summary of Serious Illness Protections: California
- A.7 State-By-State Summary of Customer Contact and Notification Procedures Prior to Disconnection of Service
A.8 State Public Utility Commission Contacts, Including for Complaints and Consumer Services: California
California Public Utilities Commission
California State Building
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102-3298
Phone: 415-703-2782
Fax: 415-703-1758
Website(s): www.cpuc.ca.gov
Complaints and Consumer Support
Phone: 415-703-1170; 800-649-7570 (toll-free)
Website(s): www.cpuc.ca.gov/consumer-support (access to online complaint form)
Email: [email protected]
Manager, Consumer Affairs Branch: Harold Williams
Email: [email protected]
Appendix C: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
California: Region 9
Ms. Lillibeth Campos
Utility Assistance Manager
Department of Community Services and Development
2389 Gateway Oaks Dr., Ste 100
Sacramento, California 95833
Phone: (916) 426-9985
Fax: (916) 263-1406
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.csd.ca.gov
Public Inquiries: (866) 675-6623
Appendix D: The Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program
CALIFORNIA, Region 5
Kathy Andry
Deputy Director
California Department of Community Services and Development
2389 Gateway Oaks Dr., Ste. 100
Sacramento, California 95833
Phone: (916) 576-7132
Fax: (916) 263-1406
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.csd.ca.gov/Pages/Residential-Energy-Efficiency.aspx
Public Inquiries: (866) 675-6623
Consumer Bankruptcy Law and Practice
Appendix J: Summaries of State Exemption Laws
Appendix K: Bankruptcy Client Handouts
- K.1 Introduction
- K.2 Answers to Common Bankruptcy Questions
- K.3 Your Legal Rights During and After Bankruptcy: Making the Most of Your Bankruptcy Discharge
- K.4 Using Credit Wisely After Bankruptcy
Fair Debt Collection
Appendix D: Summary of State Debt Collection Statutes
- Introduction
- Summary of State Debt Collection Statutes
- Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1788 to 1788.33, 1812.700 to 1812.702 (West) (Fair Debt Collection)
- Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1788.50 to 1788.64 (West) (Fair Debt Buying Practices)
- Cal. Family Code §§ 5610 to 5616 (West) (Child Support Collectors)
- Cal. Fin. Code §§ 100000 to 100025 (West) (Debt Collector Licensing)
- FDCPA Case Connector: The FDCPA Case Connector is a database of all 15,000 Appx E summaries of FDCPA case holdings. Sort by any combination of court, topic, year, citation, party name, and keyword.
Repossessions
Appendix B Summary of State Repossession Laws
Mortgages & Foreclosures Resources
Mortgage Lending
Appendix A: State Mortgage Lending Statutes
Appendix B: State Predatory Lending Statutes
Appendix M: Summary of State Reverse Mortgage Laws
Appendix N: State Statutory Requirements for Land Contract Transactions
Mortgage Servicing and Loan Modifications
Chapter 11: Litigating Mortgage Servicing Claims
Homeowner Options to Proceed in Arbitration - California and D.C. Arbitration Claims for Public Injunctive Relief
Appendix D: Summary of State Mortgage Servicing, Payoff Statement, and Mortgage Discharge Laws
Home Foreclosures
Chapter 8: Litigating Foreclosure Cases
Mandatory Arbitration Provisions - California and D.C. Arbitration Claims for Public Injunctive Relief
Chapter 12 Second Mortgage Foreclosures
State-by-State Summaries of State Laws: California
Appendix D: Summary of State Reverse Mortgage Laws
Appendix E: Summary of State Foreclosure Laws
Appendix F: Summary of State Real Estate Tax Abatement Laws
Appendix G: Summary of State Tax Lien Foreclosure Laws
Appendix H Summary of State Condominium Laws
Credit & Banking Resources
Consumer Credit Regulation
Chapter 8 Litigation
California and D.C. Arbitration Claims for Public Injunctive Relief
Chapter 10 Payday Loans, Earned Wage Advances, and Similar Cash Advances
State Regulation of Payday Lending: California
The CFPB’s Opinions and Rulings Regarding EWAs and TILA - The CFPB’s 2023 California comment
Chapter 13 Auto Title Loans
13.2.4 State-by-State Summaries of Auto Title Lending Statutes: California
Appendix B: State Lending Statutes
Summary of State Lending Statutes
Summary of State Usury Statutes
This table shows the maximum legal interest rate allowed in each state for transactions to which no other statutory or regulatory exception applies. Appendix B.1, infra, lists citations to statutes regulating specific types of non-mortgage credit. The maximum rates in this table are those listed as “Legal Interest Rate” in Appendix B.1, infra.
California 12% (Cal. Civ. Code § 1916-2 (West)) Forfeit interest (Cal. Civ. Code § 1916-2 (West))
Appendix C: Summaries of State Retail Installment Sales Acts
- Introduction
- Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1801 to 1812.20 (West) (Retail Installment Sales “Unruh” Act).
- Cal. Civ. Code §§ 2981 to 2984.6 (West) (Automobile Sales Finance Act).
Appendix D: Summaries of State Closed-End Installment Loan Statutes
Appendix E: Summaries of State Open-End Credit Statutes
Credit Discrimination
Appendix F: State Credit Discrimination Laws
Appendix I: Consumer’s Guide to Credit Discrimination Laws (Appropriate for Distribution to Clients)
Fair Credit Reporting
Chapter 6: Activities and Duties of Furnishers of Information to Consumer Reporting Agencies
California Furnisher Accuracy Standards
Appendix H: Summary of State Laws on Consumer Reporting, Identity Theft, Credit Repair, and Security Freezes
Appendix M: Consumer Guides to Credit Reporting and Credit Scores (Appropriate for General Distribution)
- Introduction
- What You Should Know About Your Credit Report
- Understanding Credit Scores
- Disputing Errors in a Credit Report
Truth in Lending
Chapter 2 Scope
Deception & Warranties Resources
Automobile Fraud
Appendix C: State Laws Relating to Automobile Fraud
Appendix D: State Statutes and Regulations Relating to Yo-Yo Sales
Appendix E: State-by-State Information on Requesting Title Histories
Appendix F: State Automobile Dealer Licensing Offices
Consumer Warranty Law
Chapter 1: Introductory Materials
The California Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act
Chapter 14: New Vehicles and Motor Homes: Lemon Laws, Other Remedies
Civil penalties under California law
Appendix F: State-by-State Analysis of New Car Lemon Laws
Appendix G: State-by-State Analysis of Service Contract Laws and Regulations
Appendix H: State-by-State Analysis of New Home and Condominium Warranty Laws
Federal Deception & Abuse Law
Chapter 4 The FTC Holder Rule and State Law Counterparts
Operation of the FTC Holder Rule - The California Supreme Court’s Reasoning As to Why Attorney Fees Are Not Capped
Appendix D: State Telemarketing and Robocall Statutes Summarized
Appendix H: State False Claims Act Statutes Summarized
Appendix I: State Debt Relief Statutes Summarized
State-by-State Analysis of Debt Relief Legislation: California
Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices
Chapter 3 Demonstrating That a Practice Is a UDAP Violation
One of two California UDAP statutes explicitly adopts per se approach
Chapter 11 Litigating UDAP Cases
- Preconditions to Private Actions - Injury Requirements Under California’s UDAP Statutes
- No Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) preemption of the California McGill rule
- Utilizing the Arbitration Process - California UDAP Arbitration Claims for Public Injunctive Relief
Chapter 12 UDAP Private Remedies
- California UDAP Remedies
- Out-of-Pocket Damages or Restitution - Restitution under California law
Appendix A:Statute-by-Statute Analysis of State UDAP Statutes
Consumer Litigation Resources
Consumer Class Actions
Appendix C: Survey of State Class Action Law—2026: California
- Introduction
- 1. Statewide Court Rules Governing Class Actions
- 2. California’s Class Action Act
- 3. Cy Pres/Fluid Recovery
- 4. California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act
- 5. California’s Unfair Competition Law
- 6. Class Action Bans in Arbitration Clauses
- 7. Choice of Law
- 8. Class Action Settlements
- 9. Order Denying Class Certification Is Immediately Appealable
- 10. Miscellaneous
- 11. Communications With Absent Class Members
- 12. Conclusion
- CALIFORNIA CLASS ACTION STATUTES
- CALIFORNIA RULES OF COURT; MANAGEMENT OF CLASS ACTIONS, RULES OF COURT 1850–1861
Appendix D: State-by-State Analysis of State Court Standing Requirements
- D.1 Restrictive Supreme Court Standing Rulings Do Not Bind State Courts
- D.2 About This Appendix and a Note on State Standing Case Law
- D.3 Impact of Spokeo and Ramirez on State Court Standing Rulings
- D.3.1 Most State Supreme Courts Have Not Endorsed Spokeo or Ramirez
- D.3.2 Why State Courts Should Not Follow Spokeo and Ramirez
- D.3.2.1 Basis for State Courts’ Standing Doctrines
- D.3.2.2 Why State Courts Should Not Adopt Article III Standing Requirements
- D.3.2.3 Other Grounds for a Broad Standing Doctrine in State Courts
- D.3.3 Benefits of Initially Filing Federal Consumer Protection Claims in State Court
- D.4 State-by-State Analysis of State Court Standing Requirements: California
Consumer and Worker Arbitration Agreements
Chapter 9: Conducting Individual Arbitrations
- California Law Protects Consumers and Workers When Business Fails to Pay
- When Defendant Fails to Pay Fees or Forum Does Not Approve Arbitration Agreement - Individuals’ Options Outside of California
Chapter 10: Class, Mass, and Representative Arbitration
- Mass Arbitration - California Statute Provides Rights When Business Fails to Pay Filing Fees
- California Statutes Requiring Disclosures by Arbitrators
Collection Actions
Chapter 9: Medical Debt
State Laws Applicable to Medical Debt - Medical Debtor Protection Laws - California
Chapter 13: Challenging the Collector’s Judgment
California statute provides rights where proper service occurs but no actual notice is given