Cal. WIC § 5330
This is the official text of Cal. WIC § 5330, part of California’s Welfare and Institutions Code — governs public social services, juvenile justice, and mental health/developmental disability services.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
(a) Any person may bring an action against an individual who has willfully and knowingly released confidential information or records concerning him or her in violation of this chapter, or of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 11860) of Part 3 of Division 10.5 of the Health and Safety Code, for the greater of the following amounts:
(1) Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
(2) Three times the amount of actual damages, if any, sustained by the plaintiff.
(b) Any person may bring an action against an individual who has negligently released confidential information or records concerning him or her in violation of this chapter, or of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 11860) of Part 3 of Division 10.5 of the Health and Safety Code, for both of the following:
(1) One thousand dollars ($1,000). In order to recover under this paragraph, it shall not be a prerequisite that the plaintiff suffer or be threatened with actual damages.
(2) The amount of actual damages, if any, sustained by the plaintiff.
(c) Any person may, in accordance with Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525) of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, bring an action to enjoin the release of confidential information or records in violation of this chapter, and may in the same action seek damages as provided in this section.
(d) In addition to the amounts specified in subdivisions (a) and (b), the plaintiff shall recover court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees as determined by the court.
(1) Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
(2) Three times the amount of actual damages, if any, sustained by the plaintiff.
(b) Any person may bring an action against an individual who has negligently released confidential information or records concerning him or her in violation of this chapter, or of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 11860) of Part 3 of Division 10.5 of the Health and Safety Code, for both of the following:
(1) One thousand dollars ($1,000). In order to recover under this paragraph, it shall not be a prerequisite that the plaintiff suffer or be threatened with actual damages.
(2) The amount of actual damages, if any, sustained by the plaintiff.
(c) Any person may, in accordance with Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525) of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, bring an action to enjoin the release of confidential information or records in violation of this chapter, and may in the same action seek damages as provided in this section.
(d) In addition to the amounts specified in subdivisions (a) and (b), the plaintiff shall recover court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees as determined by the court.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.