Section 820.21.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 820.21.
in effect(a)
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, the civil immunity of juvenile court social workers, child protection workers, and other public employees authorized to initiate or conduct investigations or proceedings pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 200) of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code shall not extend to any of the following, if committed with malice:
(1)
Perjury.
(2)
Fabrication of evidence.
(3)
Failure to disclose known exculpatory evidence.
(4)
Obtaining testimony by duress, as defined in Section 1569 of the Civil Code, fraud, as defined in either Section 1572 or Section 1573 of the Civil Code, or undue influence, as defined in Section 1575 of the Civil Code.
(b)
As used in this section, “malice” means conduct that is intended by the person described in subdivision (a) to cause injury to the plaintiff or despicable conduct that is carried on by the person described in subdivision (a) with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others.
References
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 200.
referencesCal. Civil Code - CIV § 1569.
referencesCal. Civil Code - CIV § 1573.
referencesCal. Civil Code - CIV § 1575.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 1572.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026