To find out if someone is suing you in California, search the superior court’s online case index in every county where you live, work, or own property, and check the federal PACER system for any case filed in federal court. Both systems let you search by your name. If a case exists, you’ll typically see the case number, filing date, parties, and a docket of filed documents, which tells you whether you’ve been formally served and how much time you have to respond.
Searching California Superior Court Records
Civil lawsuits in California are filed in the superior court of the county where the dispute arose or where the defendant lives. Start with the county where you live, then add any county where you do business or own real estate.
Many of California’s 58 county superior courts have online case-search portals. Los Angeles County lets you search by party name or case number through its Access a Case tool.1Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Access a Case Orange County offers a similar Case Access portal.2Superior Court of California, County of Orange. Case Access Results usually show the parties, case number, filing date, and a docket listing the documents on file. Viewing the actual documents online is often restricted.
When the county’s online portal is limited or turns up nothing you can trust, go to the clerk’s office at the courthouse. The clerk keeps a public index of filed cases that you can search by name. Ask specifically for the index you need, since courts separate general civil, small claims, and family law matters. Copies of court documents cost $0.50 per page under the statewide civil fee schedule.3Judicial Branch of California. Superior Court of California Statewide Civil Fee Schedule Bring identification.
Checking Federal Court Records
Not every lawsuit lands in state court. Disputes that cross state lines, involve a federal statute, or exceed $75,000 with parties from different states can end up in federal court, and none of those filings will show up in a California superior court search.
The federal tool is PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). The PACER Case Locator is a national index that searches every federal district, bankruptcy, and appellate court at once, and new filings usually appear within 24 hours.4PACER. PACER Case Locator You’ll need a free PACER account to run a search. Access costs $0.10 per page with a $3.00 cap per document, and fees are waived entirely if you accrue $30 or less in a quarter, so a simple name search almost always costs nothing.5PACER. Public Access to Court Electronic Records
Signs You Have Already Been Served Without Realizing It
People sometimes search the court records because paperwork never reached them personally. California allows service of process in ways that don’t require the papers to end up in your hands, and the deadline to respond starts running whether or not you actually see them.
The formal notification process delivers two documents: a Summons, which warns that the court can rule against you if you don’t respond within 30 days, and a Complaint, which describes the claims.6California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 412.20 Personal delivery is the cleanest method, but two others frequently catch people off guard.
The first is substituted service. After at least three attempts at personal delivery on three different days at three different times, a plaintiff can leave the documents with any adult at your home, workplace, or usual mailing address and then mail a copy to the same location.7California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 415.208Judicial Branch of California. Serve Your Lawsuit by Substituted Service Service is complete 10 days after the mailing. If a roommate accepted papers and never told you, your response clock is already running. Ask the people who share your address whether anyone has dropped off documents, and check mail you may have set aside.
The second is service by publication. When a plaintiff has tried other methods and can’t find you, the court can authorize publishing the summons in a newspaper likely to reach you, once a week for four weeks.9California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 415.50 Service is complete on the 28th day after the first publication.10California Legislative Information. California Government Code 6064 If you ever see a published summons with your name on it, treat it as urgent. The deadline has been running for weeks.
A plaintiff can also mail you the documents with a Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt form. Service is complete on the date you sign and return the form. Ignoring it doesn’t stop the lawsuit, and if the plaintiff has to serve you another way, the court can order you to pay those costs.11California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 415.30
Pre-Suit Warning Signs
Before a case is filed, certain communications signal that one is coming. A demand letter from an attorney describes a legal claim, states that you’re responsible, and asks for a specific remedy by a deadline. It doesn’t mean anything has been filed, but it means someone has hired counsel.
Escalating letters from creditors or collection agencies, especially when the tone shifts from asking for payment to threatening legal action, are another common precursor. A formal “notice of intent to sue” says outright that a lawsuit is next if the matter isn’t resolved. For some claims, pre-suit notice is legally required. Anyone planning to sue a California government entity, for example, must first file a claim under the Government Claims Act, generally within six months for personal injury or property damage and within one year for breach of contract.12California Legislative Information. California Government Code 910 – Presentation of Claim
What to Do If You Find a Case
If a search turns up an active case naming you, look at the docket for a proof of service. That document tells you when the plaintiff claims you were served, which sets your response deadline.
In California state court, you have 30 days from the date service is complete to file a written response.6California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 412.20 The parties can agree to a single 15-day extension without asking the court.13Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court 2026 – Rule 3.110 In federal court, the response window is 21 days. Small claims cases don’t require a written response, but the plaintiff must serve you at least 15 days before the hearing, or 20 days if you’re in a different county from where the case was filed.14California Courts. Serve Your Small Claims Forms
Miss the deadline and the plaintiff can ask the clerk to enter your default, then move for a default judgment awarding the relief they asked for without hearing from you.15California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 585 A default judgment carries the same weight as any other. It can be used to garnish wages, levy bank accounts, and place liens on real estate.16California Courts. What Happens If You Receive a Judgment in a Debt Lawsuit
If You Discover an Old Default Judgment
Sometimes a search reveals not an active case but a judgment already entered against you. California law lets you ask the court to set aside a default judgment when service never actually reached you in time to respond. You must file the motion within a reasonable time, and no later than the earlier of two years after entry of the judgment or 180 days after you receive written notice that it exists.17California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 473.5 You’ll have to show under oath that you weren’t avoiding service or ignoring the case.16California Courts. What Happens If You Receive a Judgment in a Debt Lawsuit Setting a default aside doesn’t win the case for you. It gives you the chance to file an answer and defend it. Talk to a lawyer before the window closes, because once it does, your options narrow considerably.