The Government Claims Act in California establishes the manner in which negligence and tort claims must be made against the Government. [Govt. Code, Section 900 et seq.] Failure to follow the rules set forth in the statute can be fatal to your claim against the Government, as the California Supreme Court reminded us in the case of DiCampli-Mintz v. County of Santa Clara, S194501, Dec. 6, 2012.

In DiCampli-Mintz a woman sued her doctors and the County-owned hospital for negligence after surgery resulted in painful complications. Her attorney sent a letter to the hospital, notifying it and the doctors that she intended to sue for negligence. The lawsuit followed.