Inputs you need for Damages Allocation in California

Inputs you will need

When you run DocketMath’s “damages-allocation” calculator for California (US-CA), you’ll get the most accurate allocation only if you start with the right underlying numbers. In this workflow, think of these as inputs for how much damage belongs to each component (for example: past costs vs. future projections, or wage loss vs. medical expenses), plus the timing data that drives California’s 2-year general statute of limitations.

DocketMath is jurisdiction-aware, but the key time-to-file input still depends on your case timeline—not just the jurisdiction. For California, the default limitation period you’ll use as the baseline is:

• General SOL period: 2 years, under CCP §335.1.
  No claim-type-specific sub-rule was found for this brief, so this discussion uses the general/default period as the baseline.

Use this input checklist before you click /tools/damages-allocation:

Core damages inputs (numbers)

Timing and jurisdiction-related inputs (dates & time)

Attribution inputs (how to allocate)

Where to find each input

To keep your workflow efficient, gather each input from a consistent place in your case materials:

Most inputs live in the case file, contracts, or docket entries. Dates usually come from the triggering event notice; rates and caps come from governing documents or statute; and amounts come from the ledger or judgment. Record the source for each value so the run is reproducible.

Medical expenses (past & future)

• Past: medical bills, provider invoices, EOBs (explanation of benefits), and itemized medical summaries.
• Future: treatment plans, specialist estimates, or records showing the typical duration/frequency of care.
  If you don’t have future numbers yet, you can still run a past-only scenario in your allocation workflow.

Wage loss and earning impact

• Past wages: pay stubs, employer letters, payroll summaries, and wage-loss documentation.
• Future earning capacity: employment records, vocational assessments, or work-history summaries you’ve already compiled.

Other out-of-pocket costs

Use billing records and receipts for items that don’t neatly fit into medical bills, such as:

• prescriptions
• durable medical equipment
• transportation related to treatment
• therapy-related incidentals

Non-economic damages modeling

Non-economic damages often require a consistent method rather than a single invoice. Common sources include:

• your case narrative and documented functional impacts
• therapy/rehab notes
• records showing activity limitations and restrictions

Dates for SOL comparison (California)

For this workflow baseline in California, the general default is:

• General SOL period: 2 years under CCP §335.1
  (General/default limitation period used here because no claim-type-specific sub-rule was identified for this brief.)

In practice, the dates you enter should include:

• Accrual/injury anchor date (often the incident date you’re using for limitations analysis)
• Filing date (or planned filing date)

Run it

Once your checklist is complete, run DocketMath here:

• **/tools/damages-allocation

Enter the inputs in DocketMath and run the Damages Allocation calculation to generate a clean breakdown: Run the calculator.

If an assumption is uncertain, document it alongside the calculation so the result can be re-run later.

How the outputs change when inputs change

DocketMath’s allocation typically responds to a few major input drivers:

1. Category amounts

   • Increase medical expenses (past) → the past-medical portion usually grows, shifting the allocation toward that component.
   • Add future projections → future-related buckets increase, which can change the overall allocation profile and any scenario comparisons.

2. Offsets/mitigation assumptions

   • If you include offsets, allocation totals may change in the net sense for affected components—depending on how your workflow defines “net damages.”

3. Timeline relative to California’s SOL baseline

   • Because the baseline used here is 2 years under CCP §335.1, any SOL-oriented checks (if enabled in your workflow) can change results based on:

     • your accrual/injury anchor date
     • your filing date
   • In general, pushing the filing date beyond the 2-year baseline can lead to a “likely time-barred” outcome in the tool’s logic.
     This brief uses the general/default period as the baseline, not a claim-type-specific rule.

Mini “run” sequence (practical checklist)

Related reading

• Damages Allocation Guide for Alabama — Comparative Fault Rules
• Damages Allocation Guide for Alaska — Comparative Fault Rules
• Damages Allocation Guide for American Samoa — Comparative Fault Rules