--- type: "Bill" title: "Lawyer-client privilege: holder of the privilege." description: "Existing law provides that the client of a lawyer has a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent another from disclosing, a confidential communication between the client and lawyer if the privilege is claimed by the holder of the privilege. Existing law defines \"holder of the privilege\" to include a guardian or conservator of the client, if the client has a guardian or conservator." jurisdiction: "us/states/ca" legislature: "California Legislature" session: "20172018" identifier: "AB 1290" citation: "California AB 1290 (20172018)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["Lawyer-client privilege: holder of the privilege."] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Obernolte"] version_count: 9 action_count: 30 vote_count: 0 first_action: "2017-02-17" last_action: "2018-09-18" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1f0594ca-add0-4f25-83bc-d38221a0ebfc" source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290" source_hash: "fe3cfcc0e391cb64583e32f4869047ac4b71387c49d8096ea70c91a4647d4515" vintage: "2026-07-01" source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump" retrieved_at: "2026-07-06" confidence: "reported" tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"] --- # California AB 1290 (20172018) — Lawyer-client privilege: holder of the privilege. Existing law provides that the client of a lawyer has a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent another from disclosing, a confidential communication between the client and lawyer if the privilege is claimed by the holder of the privilege. Existing law defines "holder of the privilege" to include a guardian or conservator of the client, if the client has a guardian or conservator. ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **02/17/17 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129099INT) 2. **04/06/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129098AMD) 3. **04/20/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129097AMD) 4. **06/19/17 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129096AMD) 5. **08/20/18 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129094AMD) 6. **08/22/17 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129095AMD) 7. **09/18/18 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129092CHP) 8. **AB1290** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290) 9. **08/31/18 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1290&version=20170AB129093ENR) ## Sponsors - Obernolte — primary (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2017-02-17** Read first time. To print. `reading-1` - **2017-02-19** From printer. May be heard in committee March 21. - **2017-03-13** Referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee` - **2017-04-06** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on JUD. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1` - **2017-04-17** Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee` - **2017-04-19** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 18). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, amendment-introduction` - **2017-04-20** Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading. `reading-1, amendment-passage, reading-2` - **2017-04-24** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2017-04-27** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 1271.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2017-04-27** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1` - **2017-05-10** Referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee` - **2017-06-13** In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author. - **2017-06-19** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD. `amendment-passage, referral-committee, reading-2, reading-1, amendment-introduction` - **2017-06-27** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee. - **2017-08-21** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 18). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, amendment-introduction` - **2017-08-22** Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, amendment-passage, reading-2` - **2017-08-23** Ordered to special consent calendar. - **2017-08-31** Ordered to third reading. - **2017-09-14** Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Nguyen. - **2018-08-20** From inactive file. - **2018-08-20** Ordered to second reading. - **2018-08-20** Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading. `reading-1, amendment-passage, reading-2` - **2018-08-21** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2018-08-28** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 1. Page 5892.). `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2018-08-28** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 30 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77. - **2018-08-29** Assembly Rule 77 suspended. (Page 6773.) - **2018-08-29** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 6885.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage` - **2018-09-06** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m. - **2018-09-18** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature` - **2018-09-18** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 475, Statutes of 2018. ## Source OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1f0594ca-add0-4f25-83bc-d38221a0ebfc`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).