How long does a business lawsuit take in California?

Roughly one to two years to trial in many California counties, longer in congested courts, and the outside limit is statutory: an action must be brought to trial within five years of filing or be dismissed (Code of Civil Procedure section 583.310). Most commercial cases settle before trial, often at mediation.

The complaint starts a defined sequence: the defendant has 30 days to respond (extensions are routine), challenges to the pleadings can add months, and the case then enters discovery — the longest block, where documents, depositions, and experts consume most of the calendar. Summary judgment motions typically land after discovery, and trial dates depend heavily on the county's congestion; one to two years to trial is common, with complex-litigation departments in larger counties managing bigger cases on their own schedules. The outer boundary is the five-year rule: Code of Civil Procedure section 583.310 requires an action to be brought to trial within five years of filing, subject to narrow tolling exceptions (section 583.340), or face mandatory dismissal. Two forces shorten the road in practice: most commercial cases settle, frequently at court-ordered or private mediation, and arbitration clauses move disputes into private forums with their own, often faster, timetables. Early remedies — writs of attachment, preliminary injunctions — can shift leverage long before trial.

Authority: Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 583.310