California Codes

Cal. Civil Code § 51.7 (2026)

✓ current as of May 2026

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(a)This section shall be known, and may be cited, as the Ralph Civil Rights Act of 1976.

(b)(1)All persons within the jurisdiction of this state have the right to be free from any violence, or intimidation by threat of violence, committed against their persons or property because of political affiliation, or on account of any characteristic listed or defined in subdivision (b) or (e) of Section 51, or position in a labor dispute, or because another person perceives them to have one or more of those characteristics. The identification in this subdivision of particular bases of discrimination is illustrative rather than restrictive.

(2)For purposes of this subdivision, “intimidation by threat of violence” includes, but is not limited to, making or threatening to make a claim or report to a peace officer or law enforcement agency that falsely alleges that another person has engaged in unlawful activity or in an activity that requires law enforcement intervention, knowing that the claim or report is false, or with reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of the claim or report.

(3)For purposes of this subdivision, “intimidation by threat of violence” includes, but is not limited to, terrorizing the owner or occupant of private property with the distribution of materials on the private property, without authorization, with the purpose of terrorizing the owner or occupant of that private property.

(4)For purposes of this subdivision, “terrorize” means to cause a person of ordinary emotions and sensibilities to fear for personal safety.

(c)(1)A person shall not require another person to waive any legal right, penalty, remedy, forum, or procedure for a violation of this section, as a condition of entering into a contract for goods or services, including the right to file and pursue a civil action or complaint with, or otherwise notify, the Attorney General or any other public prosecutor, or law enforcement agency, the Civil Rights Department, or any court or other governmental entity.

(2)A person shall not refuse to enter into a contract with, or refuse to provide goods or services to, another person on the basis that the other person refuses to waive any legal right, penalty, remedy, forum, or procedure for a violation of this section, including the right to file and pursue a civil action or complaint with, or otherwise notify, the Attorney General or any other public prosecutor, or law enforcement agency, the Civil Rights Department, or any other governmental entity.

(3)Any waiver of any legal right, penalty, remedy, forum, or procedure for a violation of this section, including the right to file and pursue a civil action or complaint with, or otherwise notify, the Attorney General or any other public prosecutor, or law enforcement agency, the Civil Rights Department, or any other governmental entity shall be knowing and voluntary, in writing, and expressly not made as a condition of entering into a contract for goods or services or as a condition of providing or receiving goods and services.

(4)Any waiver of any legal right, penalty, remedy, forum, or procedure for a violation of this section that is required as a condition of entering into a contract for goods or services shall be deemed involuntary, unconscionable, against public policy, and unenforceable. This subdivision does not affect the enforceability or validity of any other provision of the contract.

(5)A person who seeks to enforce a waiver of any legal right, penalty, remedy, forum, or procedure for a violation of this section has the burden of proving that the waiver was knowing and voluntary and not made as a condition of the contract or of providing or receiving the goods or services.

(6)The exercise of a person’s right to refuse to waive any legal right, penalty, remedy, forum, or procedure for a violation of this section, including a rejection of a contract requiring a waiver, does not affect any otherwise legal terms of a contract or an agreement.

(7)This subdivision does not apply to an agreement to waive any legal rights, penalties, remedies, forums, or procedures for a violation of this section after a legal claim has arisen.

(8)This subdivision applies to an agreement to waive any legal right, penalty, remedy, forum, or procedure for a violation of this section, including an agreement to accept private arbitration, entered into, altered, modified, renewed, or extended on or after January 1, 2015.

(d)This section does not apply to statements concerning positions in a labor dispute that are made during otherwise lawful labor picketing.

(e)(1)Speech alone shall not support an action brought pursuant to this section, except upon a showing of all of the following:

(A)The speech itself threatens violence against a specific person or group of persons.

(B)The person or group of persons against whom the threat is directed reasonably fears that, because of the speech, violence will be committed against them or their property.

(C)The person threatening violence is acting in reckless disregard for the threatening nature of their speech.

(D)The person threatening violence has the apparent ability to carry out the threat.

(2)This subdivision shall not be construed to negate or otherwise abrogate the requirements set forth in subdivisions (b) to (d), inclusive, to bring an action pursuant to this section.

(f)The Legislature finds and declares that this section was enacted as part of the Ralph Civil Rights Act of 1976, in Chapter 1293 of the Statutes of 1976.

(g)This section does not negate or otherwise abrogate the provisions of Sections 1668, 1953, and 3513.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 243 cases (119 in the last 5 years), 1981–2026 · leading case: Schifando v. City of Los Angeles, 79 P.3d 569 (Cal. 2003).

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Schifando v. City of Los Angeles, 79 P.3d 569 (Cal. 2003). · cites it 6× “, Civ.Code, § 51.7), or constitutional provisions involving discrimination, it expressly preempts local governmental laws, regulations, and procedures that would affect the rights included in its provisions.”

Marjati Winarto v. Toshiba Am. Elec. Components, Inc., Roger E.A. Taylor, Wayne Liem, Bill McKinley Ron Birtch, Nancy Alexander, 274 F.3d 1276 (9th Cir. 2001). · cites it 8× “nd harassment based on race, sex, and national origin in violation of Title VII and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act ("FEHA"); (2) discrimination and harassment based on disability in violation of the FEHA; (3) retaliation for making complaints of discrimination…”

Gates v. Superior Court, 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1146 (Cal. Ct. App. 1995). · cites it 12× “" Defendants, by their acts, "intentionally increased plaintiff[s'] vulnerability [] to acts of violence, and thereby deprived plaintiff[s] of the right to be free from violence in violation of California Civil Code section 51.7[, subdivision] (a), entitling plaintiff[s] to…”

Austin B. v. Escondido Union Sch. Dist., 2007 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 3902 (Cal. Ct. App. 2007). · cites it 4× “We also conclude that the court did not err by (1) giving the jury a special verdict form on the negligence claim that did not ask if nondefendant employees of the District were negligent; (2) granting nonsuit on the battery claim as to the individual District employee…”

D.C. v. Harvard-Westlake Sch., 176 Cal. App. 4th 836 (Cal. Ct. App. 2009). · cites it 7× “The trial court ordered that all of the claims the statutory hate crimes claim and several common law claimsbe arbitrated in accordance with the school's enrollment contract, which contained not only an arbitration provision but also a provision entitling the "prevailing…”

I.H. ex rel. Hunter v. Oakland Sch. for the Arts, 234 F. Supp. 3d 987 (N.D. Cal. 2017). · cites it 6× “Code § 61 , and (9) freedom from violence, under Cal. Civ. Code § 51.7 . Plaintiff seeks damages against all defendants, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs.”

Bias v. Moynihan, 508 F.3d 1212 (9th Cir. 2007). · cites it 2× “§ 1983 , and state law causes of action for assault and battery, false arrest, illegal imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and racial discrimination pursuant to California Civil Code section 51.7. On June 14, 2005, Ms.”

Knapps v. City of Oakland, 647 F. Supp. 2d 1129 (N.D. Cal. 2009). · cites it 5× “§ 1983 , as well as supplemental state law claims for negligence, false ar *1138 rest/imprisonment, battery, and statutory claims for the violation of his rights under California Civil Code sections 51.7 and 52.”

Venegas v. Cnty. of Los Angeles, 87 P.3d 1 (Cal. 2004). · cites it 3× “1 is "independent of any other action, remedy, or procedure that may be available to an aggrieved individual under any other provision of law," including Civil Code section 51.”

Corales v. Bennett, 567 F.3d 554 (9th Cir. 2009). · cites it 2× “§ 1983 and § 1985(3) 5 against Bennett and Kinley in their individual capacities; (2) an unconstitutional policy, custom or practice causing constitutional violations against the school district 6 ; (3) failure to train and supervise, causing constitutional violations, against…”

Stamps v. Superior Court, 2006 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1672 (Cal. Ct. App. 2006). · cites it 4× “*1444 Opinion RUBIN, J, INTRODUCTION The issue presented in this petition for writ of mandate is whether a violation of statutory protections against discriminatory violence and intimidation and against denial of civil rights by means of threats and intimidation (Civ. Code, §§…”

Campbell v. Feld Ent., Inc., 75 F. Supp. 3d 1193 (N.D. Cal. 2014). · cites it 5× “; (2) violations of the Ralph Act, Cal. Civ. Code § 51.7 ; (3) violations of Article I, Section 2(a) of the California Constitution; (4) violations of the Bane Act, Cal.”

Show all 243 citing cases →

— Cal. Civil Code § 51.7(a) — 10 cases

Corales v. Bennett, 567 F.3d 554 (9th Cir. 2009). “§ 1983 and § 1985(3) 5 against Bennett and Kinley in their individual capacities; (2) an unconstitutional policy, custom or practice causing constitutional violations against the school district 6 ; (3) failure to train and supervise, causing constitutional violations, against…”

Warren v. Marcus, 78 F. Supp. 3d 1228 (N.D. Cal. 2015).

McKenna v. Permanente Med. Grp., Inc., 894 F. Supp. 2d 1258 (E.D. Cal. 2012).

Corales v. Bennett, 488 F. Supp. 2d 975 (C.D. Cal. 2007).

Johnson v. Bay Area Rapid Transit, 790 F. Supp. 2d 1034 (N.D. Cal. 2011).

— Cal. Civil Code § 51.7(b) — 1 case

Jaramillo v. City of San Mateo, 76 F. Supp. 3d 905 (N.D. Cal. 2014).

— Cal. Civil Code § 51.7(b)(1) — 1 case

(PC) Rose v. Yuba Cnty. (E.D. Cal. 2022).

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.