Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

There is no way to say what anyone will do, but your landlord is legally still entitled to sue you for breach of the lease, he just can't use the expedited unlawful detainer process once you surrender the premises. The landlord must now make commercially reasonable efforts to relet the property. As long as he does that, you are liable for rent until the new tenant takes over, plus all costs of finding the new tenant.