A Los Angeles Superior Court case lookup takes about two minutes if you have a case number and can tell an injured person a lot: whether a lawsuit has been filed, when the next hearing is, and whether the driver who hit you has been sued before. It also misses most of what happens in an injury claim. At Borna Houman Law, we use these tools every week from our Santa Monica office at 2530 Wilshire Blvd, and this guide shows you how to use them and what the results actually mean for an injury claim.
Key Takeaway: You can look up a Los Angeles Superior Court case for free on the court’s Find a Case page if you have the case number. Searching by a party’s name carries a per-search public access fee. A lookup shows filed cases only, so insurance claims that have not become lawsuits will not appear.
Hurt in a crash and not sure whether a case has been filed, or whether the deadline is close? We will check the court record and your deadlines with you. Call (888) 42-BORNA for a free consultation.
How do I look up a case in Los Angeles Superior Court?
Go to the court’s Find a Case page, choose Case Access, and enter the case number. The court lists five tools there: Case Access, Case Calendar, Case Document Images, a party name search for civil, family law, and probate cases, and a defendant name search for criminal cases.
Case Access shows the publicly available summary for civil, criminal, family law, probate, and small claims cases. Case Calendar shows future hearings for a case number. Document Images lets you view filed documents in certain civil and small claims cases, and the court charges a public access fee for documents. You will need to create an account or sign in as a guest to buy them.
If you do not have a case number, the name search is the fallback. The court charges a public access fee for each name search, and you pay even if the search returns nothing. So get the number first, from your lawyer or from the papers you were served.
What does a Los Angeles case number tell you?
A modern Los Angeles Superior Court civil case number tells you the filing year, the courthouse, and the case type. A number like 25SMCV01234 means a case filed in 2025, at the Santa Monica Courthouse (SM), in the civil (CV) division. Downtown cases filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse carry ST, as in 25STCV01234.
Older cases use letter prefixes instead. A Santa Monica civil case from before the current system might start with SC, and a downtown unlimited civil case with BC. If someone hands you an older number, Case Access still finds it.
The courthouse code matters for an injury case. It tells you where hearings happen and which judge’s tentative rulings to watch. In our experience, Westside crash cases are often filed in Santa Monica, but the right venue depends on where the crash happened and where the defendant lives.
Which lookup tool should I use, and what does it cost?
Use the free case number tools first and pay for name searches or documents only when you need them. The table below compares the options listed on the court’s Find a Case page.
| Tool | What you need | Cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Access | Case number | No fee listed for number searches | Parties, filing date, case type, courthouse, register of actions |
| Case Calendar | Case number | No fee listed | Upcoming hearing dates and departments |
| Case Document Images | Case number, account or guest login | Public access fee per document | Filed documents in certain civil and small claims cases |
| Party name search (civil, family, probate) | A party’s name | Public access fee per search, charged even with no results | Matching case numbers |
| Defendant name search (criminal) | Defendant’s name | Public access fee per search | Matching criminal case numbers |
Why would an injured person look up a court case?
Injured people use the lookup for four reasons: to track their own lawsuit, to see whether the other driver sued first, to check the defendant’s litigation history, and to find a related criminal case.
Tracking your own case is the most common. Once your lawyer files, Case Access shows the filing date, the defendants, and every filing on the register of actions. Case Calendar shows the next hearing. Your lawyer should tell you about every hearing, but the lookup lets you check.
The other three uses are where the lookup helps most. A name search on the at-fault driver or the trucking company may turn up earlier crash lawsuits, which can matter in a negligent hiring or entrustment claim against an employer. A search may also show that the other driver filed against you first. And a criminal defendant search can reveal a DUI or hit-and-run case arising from the same crash, which affects evidence and can support a claim for punitive damages.
What will a case lookup not show you?
A case lookup shows only cases filed in court, so most of an injury claim is invisible to it. Insurance claims, adjuster negotiations, demand letters, and settlements reached before suit never appear on the court’s index.
Settlement amounts usually do not appear either. When a filed injury case settles, the docket typically shows a notice of settlement and then a request for dismissal, with no dollar figure. That is why we do not rely on court records to value a case. Settlement data comes from verdict reports, our own case history, and the specific facts of your injuries.
Some records are restricted or confidential, including juvenile matters and documents filed under seal, and certain family law and probate records are limited. If a case you expect to find does not appear, the reason may be a typo in the name, a different courthouse, or a case that was never filed.
How do court deadlines affect an injury case after it is filed?
Court deadlines control an injury case before and after filing, and missing one can end a valid claim. Before filing, the key deadline is the statute of limitations: Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives most injury victims two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit.
Claims against a public entity move much faster. Under Government Code section 911.2, a claim for personal injury against a city, county, or state agency must be presented within six months of the injury, before any lawsuit. We explain that process in our guide to the California Government Claims Act.
After filing, the plaintiff generally must serve the complaint within 60 days under California Rules of Court, rule 3.110, and a served defendant generally has 30 days to respond. The register of actions on Case Access shows when the proof of service and the answer were filed, which tells you whether the case is moving.
What is the difference between limited and unlimited civil cases?
A limited civil case seeks $35,000 or less, and an unlimited civil case seeks more than $35,000. Code of Civil Procedure section 85 sets that limit.
The classification shows up in the case lookup and changes how the case runs. Limited cases have restrictions on discovery and a lower ceiling on recovery. Serious injury cases with surgery, lost income, or long-term treatment belong in unlimited civil, and we file them that way so the recovery is not capped by the case type.
A worked example: checking a Westside crash case
Say you were rear-ended on Lincoln Boulevard in Venice in March 2025, and your lawyer filed suit in the Santa Monica Courthouse in early 2026. Your case number is 26SMCV00512.
You enter that number in Case Access. The summary shows you as plaintiff, the other driver and the vehicle owner as defendants, and the case classified as unlimited civil. The register of actions shows the complaint, a proof of service filed 41 days later, and the defendants’ answer. Case Calendar shows a case management conference in Santa Monica three months out.
Now you pay for one name search on the vehicle owner, a delivery company. It returns three earlier crash suits against the same company. Those suits do not prove your case. They can support discovery into how the company hires and supervises drivers, so your lawyer will want them. If the case had settled, you would see a notice of settlement and a request for dismissal, not the amount.
Frequently asked questions about Los Angeles case lookups
Is the Los Angeles Superior Court case search free?
Searching by case number on the court’s Find a Case page has no fee listed. Searching by a party’s name carries a public access fee for each search, and viewing document images also carries a fee.
Can I search Los Angeles court cases by name?
Yes. The court offers a party name search for civil, family law, and probate cases and a defendant name search for criminal cases. Each name search costs a public access fee, even if it finds nothing.
Can I see settlement amounts in a court case lookup?
Usually not. Most injury settlements are confidential, and the docket typically shows only a notice of settlement and a dismissal. Settlements reached before a lawsuit never appear in court records at all.
Why can’t I find my case online?
The most common reason is that no lawsuit has been filed yet, because most injury claims start with the insurance company. Other reasons include a misspelled name, a different courthouse, or a restricted case type.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Los Angeles?
Most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years under CCP 335.1. A claim against a government agency must be presented within six months under Government Code 911.2, which comes first.
Can I look up tentative rulings for my case?
Many Los Angeles departments post tentative rulings before hearings on the court’s website. Check the posting for your courthouse and department the day before a hearing.
Talk to a lawyer before the deadline, not after
A case lookup tells you what has been filed. It cannot tell you what your claim is worth or whether a deadline is about to pass. If you were hurt on the Westside, see how we handle these cases as a Santa Monica personal injury lawyer, and read our guides to the California personal injury statute of limitations and the average car accident settlement in California. We work on contingency, so there is no fee unless we win.
The insurance adjuster is not your friend, and the clock is running. Call (888) 42-BORNA for a free consultation.
Written by Borna Houman, Esq., California State Bar No. 352339, Borna Houman Law, 2530 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Court procedures and fees change, so confirm current details on the court’s website and consult a licensed California attorney about your case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.