LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeCommercial CodeDiv. 9Ch. 6§ 9625 Secured Party Compliance Damages

§ 9625 Secured Party Compliance Damages

Commercial Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 9625 Secured Party Compliance Damages

Key Takeaways

  • •If a lender doesn't follow the rules when taking or selling your stuff (like a car or house) because you owe money, you can ask a court to stop them.
  • •You can get money back if the lender breaks the rules and you lose money because of it, like paying more for a loan.
  • •If the lender doesn't give you the right papers or info about your loan or stuff, you can get $500 from them.
  • •If the lender doesn't answer your request about what you owe or what stuff is tied to your loan, they can only take what's on the list they gave you.

Example

You borrowed money to buy a car, and the lender took your car because you missed payments. But they didn't tell you where or when they sold it, and you had to pay more to get another loan.

The lender broke the rules by not telling you about selling your car. You can ask the court to make them pay you back for the extra money you spent on the new loan.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 9625 Secured Party Compliance Damages

(a) If it is established that a secured party is not proceeding in accordance with this division, a court may order or restrain collection, enforcement, or disposition of collateral on appropriate terms and conditions. (b) Subject to subdivisions (c), (d), and (f), a person is liable for damages in the amount of any loss caused by a failure to comply with this division. Loss caused by a failure to comply may include loss resulting from the debtor’s inability to obtain, or increased costs of, alternative financing. (c) Except as otherwise provided in Section 9628, a person that, at the time of the failure, was a debtor, was an obligor, or held a security interest in or other lien on the collateral may recover damages under subdivision (b) for its loss. (d) A debtor whose deficiency is eliminated under Section 9626 may recover damages for the loss of any surplus. However, in a transaction other than a consumer transaction, a debtor or secondary obligor whose deficiency is eliminated or reduced under Section 9626 may not otherwise recover under subdivision (b) for noncompliance with the provisions of this chapter relating to collection, enforcement, disposition, or acceptance. (e) In addition to any damages recoverable under subdivision (b), the debtor, consumer obligor, or person named as a debtor in a filed record, as applicable, may recover five hundred dollars ($500) in each case from any of the following persons: (1) A person that fails to comply with Section 9208. (2) A person that fails to comply with Section 9209. (3) A person that files a record that the person is not entitled to file under subdivision (a) of Section 9509. (4) A person that fails to cause the secured party of record to file or send a termination statement as required by subdivision (a) or (c) of Section 9513. (5) A person that fails to comply with paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 9616 and whose failure is part of a pattern, or consistent with a practice, of noncompliance. (6) A person that fails to comply with paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 9616. (f) A debtor or consumer obligor may recover damages under subdivision (b) and, in addition, five hundred dollars ($500) in each case from a person that, without reasonable cause, fails to comply with a request under Section 9210. A recipient of a request under Section 9210 which never claimed an interest in the collateral or obligations that are the subject of a request under that section has a reasonable excuse for failure to comply with the request within the meaning of this subdivision. (g) If a secured party fails to comply with a request regarding a list of collateral or a statement of account under Section 9210, the secured party may claim a security interest only as shown in the list or statement included in the request as against a person that is reasonably misled by the failure. (Amended (as to be added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 991) by Stats. 2000, Ch. 1003, Sec. 46. Effective January 1, 2001. Addition and amendment operative July 1, 2001, by Stats. 1999, Ch. 991, Sec. 75, and Stats. 2000, Ch. 1003, Sec. 56.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

secured partycollateraldamagesnoncompliancedebtoralternative financing

Related Statutes

  • § 9602 Debtor Rights In Collateral
  • § 9613 Notification Of Disposition Rules
  • § 9619 Transfer Statement Rights
  • § 9628 Secured Party Liability Exemption
  • § 9601 Secured Party Post-Default Rights

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Commercial Code. Section 9625.
View Official Source