Legal Question in Personal Injury in California

Re: Calif. Law/code defining driver's ability to pay damages

Thank you for your question. The state of California requires minimum coverage for operating a motor vehicle. If a judgment is obtained for above any policy limits, the policy holder could be personally liable. There is no requirement to "pay damages in a timely fashion", although the court allows a judgment to be collected in a variety of ways. There is also generally a two year statute of limitations to bring a claim for personal injury damages.

Re: Calif. Law/code defining driver's ability to pay damages

You are incorrect. California law only requires a driver to carry $15,000 liability insurance, per injury, per occurrence, not anything more. The law does not force or require driver's to hold any additional funds. If it did, almost everyone would be driving illegally. If you sue someone and he does not have enough insurance coverage to pay your damages, then you have to make the hard decision as to whether take the money you can, or to proceed further by obtaining a judgment which may be uncollectable.