City of Los Angeles, Plaintiffs and Respondents v. County of Kern, Defendants and Appellants

Summary

The court held that the tolling provision governing state claims dismissed from federal court supplies a 30-day grace period to refile claims that would otherwise be time-barred, rather than suspending the limitations clock for the entire federal proceeding. It reached that conclusion because the statutory text was ambiguous, the legislative history focused on preventing loss of claims, and the narrower interpretation intruded least on state control over limitations periods. The court reversed the Court of Appeal and remanded for further proceedings.