If any provision of this title or the application thereof to any person is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the title which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application and to this end the provisions of this title are declared to be severable.
§ 879.Severability of Provisions
Title 11. Contribution Among Joint Judgment Debtors · Chapter 1. Releases From and Contribution Among Joint Tortfeasors · Enacted 1700 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 879 is a severability clause providing that if any part of Title 11 or its application to a person is held invalid, the remaining provisions and applications that can operate independently stay in effect.
Full Text of § 879
Plain-English Summary
This is a standard severability provision, not a substantive rule about contribution. If a court holds any part of Title 11 invalid, or holds it invalid as applied to a particular person, that ruling doesn't take the rest of the title down with it. Every other provision, and every other application of the title, continues to operate wherever it can function without the invalid piece.
Practically, this means a successful constitutional or statutory challenge to one part of the joint-tortfeasor contribution scheme — say, a specific subdivision of § 875 or § 877 — leaves the surrounding contribution and settlement-bar framework intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does § 879 do?
It is a severability clause: if any provision of Title 11 is held invalid, the rest of the title stays in force wherever it can operate independently of the invalid part.
Does invalidating one part of the contribution statutes undo the whole title?
No. Section 879 keeps every other provision and application of Title 11 effective, provided it doesn't depend on the invalid provision.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1957, Ch. 1700.
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: severability clause ccp title 11