Cal. Codes » Civil Code / DIVISION 3. OBLIGATIONS / PART 2. CONTRACTS / TITLE 1. NATURE OF A CONTRACT / CHAPTER 4. Object of a Contract
California Codes

Cal. Civil Code § 1598 (2026)

✓ current as of May 2026
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Where a contract has but a single object, and such object is unlawful, whether in whole or in part, or wholly impossible of performance, or so vaguely expressed as to be wholly unascertainable, the entire contract is void.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 55 cases (14 in the last 5 years), 1950–2025 · leading case: Armendariz v. Found. Health Psychcare Servs., Inc., 6 P.3d 669 (Cal. 2000).
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Armendariz v. Found. Health Psychcare Servs., Inc., 6 P.3d 669 (Cal. 2000). · cites it 2× “We could discover no published cases in California that address directly the question of when a trial court abuses its discretion by refusing to enforce an entire agreement, as the trial court did in this case, nor precisely what it means for an agreement to be "permeated" by…”
Hiq Labs, Inc. v. Linkedin Corp., 938 F.3d 985 (9th Cir. 2019). “12, 2008); see also Cal. Civ. Code § 1598 (“Where a contract has but a single object, and such object is unlawful, whether in whole or in part, or wholly impossible of performance .”
Hiq Labs, Inc. v. Linkedin Corp., 31 F.4th 1180 (9th Cir. 2022). “12, 2008); see also Cal. Civ. Code § 1598 (“Where a contract has but a single object, and such object is unlawful, whether in whole or in part, or wholly impossible of performance .”
Medina v. Safe-Guard Prods., Int'l, Inc., 164 Cal. App. 4th 105 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “) The appellant in this case cites three general Civil Code provisions, sections 1550, 1598, 1667, to argue that an insurance contract made with an unlicensed insurer is flat out void.”
Kashani v. Tsann Kuen China Enter. Co., 2004 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4052 (Cal. Ct. App. 2004). · cites it 2× “(Civ. Code, § 1598.) Civil Code section 1668 provides that a contract that has as its object a violation of law is “against the policy of the law.”
Citizens for Amending Proposition v. City of Pomona, 239 Cal. Rptr. 3d 750 (Cal. Ct. App. 5th 2018). “( Civ. Code, §§ 1598, 1599.) *1189 2. Analysis The original written agreement between Regency and Pomona demonstrates that the parties intended the agreement to terminate after a period of 20 years, "unless such term is otherwise terminated, modified or extended by circumstances…”
MKB Mgmt., Inc. v. Melikian, 184 Cal. App. 4th 796 (Cal. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 2× “(Civ. Code, § 1598.) 3 “ ‘Courts are to look to the various purposes of the contract.”
Marathon Ent., Inc. v. Blasi, 174 P.3d 741 (Cal. 2008). “) 9 Civil Code section 1598 codifies the companion principle for when severability is infeasible: “Where a contract has but a single object, and such object is unlawful, whether in whole or in part.”
San Diego City Firefighters v. Bd. of Admin. of San Diego City Employees' Ret. Sys., 206 Cal. App. 4th 594 (Cal. Ct. App. 2012). “According to established law, the object of a contract must be lawful (Civ. Code, § 1596), and “[w]here a contract has but a single object, and such object is unlawful, whether in whole or in part, .”
Blake v. Ecker, 2001 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 9476 (Cal. Ct. App. 2001). ““Civil Code section 1598 states that ‘[wjhere a contract has but a single object, and such object is unlawful, whether in whole or in part, or wholly impossible of performance, or so vaguely expressed as to be wholly unascertainable, the entire contract is void.”
Gombiner v. Swartz, 167 Cal. App. 4th 1365 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008). “) It follows that a landlord cannot, even with the tenant’s acquiescence or by mutual agreement, circumvent that which the law prohibits.”
Chiba v. Greenwald, 67 Cal. Rptr. 3d 86 (Cal. Ct. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “THE TRIAL COURT DID NOT ERR IN DECLINING TO SEVER THE AGREEMENT "Where a contract has but a single object, and such object is unlawful, whether in whole or in part, or wholly impossible of performance, or so vaguely expressed as to be wholly unascertainable, the entire contract…”
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