Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as affecting the assignability of causes of action.
§ 377.22.Assignability of Action Not Affected
Title 3. Of the Parties to Civil Actions · Chapter 4. Effect of Death · Article 2. Survival and Continuation · Enacted 1992 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 377.22 clarifies that nothing in this chapter's survival and continuation provisions affects the separate legal rules governing whether a cause of action may be assigned to another person.
Full Text of § 377.22
Plain-English Summary
Section 377.22 is a short clarifying provision. The chapter's rules on survival, continuation, and standing after a party's death are not meant to change whether, or how, a cause of action can be assigned to someone else while the original holder is alive.
In other words, this chapter addresses what happens to a claim when its holder dies; it does not expand or restrict the separate body of law governing whether a claim can be transferred to another person by assignment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this chapter change the rules on assigning a cause of action to someone else?
No. Section 377.22 states that nothing in the chapter affects the assignability of causes of action.
Does a decedent's death affect whether a cause of action can still be assigned?
Section 377.22 leaves that question to the separate body of law on assignability; the chapter's survival and continuation rules do not expand or restrict it.
Why does this chapter include a section devoted just to assignability?
It heads off any argument that the chapter's detailed survival and continuation rules were meant to change the rules on assigning a cause of action, by stating directly that they do not.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 178, Sec. 20. Effective January 1, 1993.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: assignability of cause of action californiaeffect of death chapter assignment