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# Tort wars
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/tort-wars/
- Published: 2026-10-28T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-28T16:00:01.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica

Dan Walters' column skipped the 2026 tort-wars deal most likely to reach Santa Monica readers. To end dueling ballot measures from Uber and the Consumer Attorneys of California, Gov. Newsom signed SB 623 on June 25\. It adds Civil Code section 3333.9, which covers claims against Uber, Lyft and other app-based ride and delivery companies, and their drivers, over crashes on or after Jan. 1, 2027.

If you make one of those claims and your doctor or clinic agreed to be paid from your settlement, called treating "on a lien," your recovery for those past medical bills is capped at the 70th percentile of billed charges for similar care in your area, using FAIR Health or a comparable database. A judge can allow more only for exceptionally rare or specialized care. The excess is void, and no one may collect it.

Before a first appointment, ask whether the care is being billed to your health insurance, Medi-Cal or Medicare, or to a lien. And if a lawyer working on contingency sends you to a clinic, ask whether he or an immediate family member owns part of it. In these cases, starting with 2027 crashes, that referral is unlawful.

Michael Shemtoub

Los Angeles