On May 1, we reported on the California Supreme Court’s opinion in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court, in which the Supreme Court set forth the standard for determining if a worker may properly be classified as...more
Employers are increasingly turning to social networking sites to find additional information about candidates. In fact, recent articles suggest that an applicant’s failure to have a social media presence is viewed by many...more
The California Labor Commissioner recently issued a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) memo regarding breaks and lactation accommodation. The FAQ memo contains no new concepts, but emphasizes the following longstanding...more
A recent California Court of Appeal opinion reminds employers of the need to carefully monitor parallel workers’ compensation proceedings involving litigants who also have civil claims pending against the employer. Ly v....more
11/1/2017
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Appeals ,
Collateral Estoppel ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
FEHA ,
Good Faith ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
Race Discrimination ,
Res Judicata ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB)
We recently blogged about Governor Brown signing S.B. 1241, which is now codified as Section 925 of the California Labor Code. The law, which affects venue and choice of law provisions in agreements entered into as a...more
10/28/2016
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Contract Terms ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Foreign Jurisdictions ,
Forum Selection ,
New Legislation ,
Preemption ,
Venue
We recently blogged about Governor Brown signing S.B. 1241, which is now codified as Section 925 of the California Labor Code. The law, which affects venue and choice of law provisions in agreements entered into as a...more
10/26/2016
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Contract Terms ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Foreign Jurisdictions ,
Forum Selection ,
New Legislation ,
Venue
Employee Who Was Working Elsewhere During Medical Leave Of Absence Was Properly Terminated -
Richey v. AutoNation, Inc., 182 Cal. Rptr. 3d 644 (Cal. S. Ct. 2015).
Avery Richey worked for Power Toyota Cerritos,...more
On January 20, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the petition for certiorari filed in CLS Transp. Los Angeles, LLC v. Iskanian, a case in which the California Supreme Court held that waivers of employees’ right to bring...more
1/22/2015
/ Arbitration ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Iskanian v CLS Transportation ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
SCOTUS ,
Trucking Industry
$300,000 In Punitive Damages Upheld In Sexual Harassment Case Despite Nominal Damages Award -
State of Arizona v. ASARCO LLC, 2014 WL 6918577 (9th Cir. 2014) (en banc).
Angela Aguilar who worked in a copper mine...more
1/14/2015
/ Bribery ,
Constructive Discharge ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress ,
Mining ,
Promissory Notes ,
Punitive Damages ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
School Districts ,
Security Checks ,
Severance Pay ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblowers ,
Wrongful Termination
Google Required To Produce Emails In Response To Former Employer's Subpoena -
Negro v. Superior Court, 2014 WL 5341926 (Cal. Ct. App. 2014) -
Navalimpianti USA, Inc. subpoenaed Google, Inc. to produce copies of...more
Franchisor Is Not Liable For Franchisee's Alleged Sexual Harassment Of Its Employee -
Patterson v. Domino's Pizza, LLC, 2014 WL 4236175 (Cal. S. Ct. 2014) -
Taylor Patterson was hired by Sui Juris (a franchisee...more
Male Employee's Sexual Harassment Claims Should Not Have Been Dismissed -
Lewis v. City of Benecia, 224 Cal. App. 4th 1519 (2014).
Brian Lewis, a heterosexual man, sued his former employer (the City of Benecia)...more
5/14/2014
/ Age Discrimination ,
Class Certification ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
FICA Taxes ,
Fitness for Duty Exams ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Public Employees ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Severance Pay ,
Sexual Harassment
San Francisco's new Fair Chance Ordinance ("FCO") "bans the box" and otherwise restricts private employers and City contractors from inquiring into or considering certain criminal offenses when making hiring and personnel...more
$150,000 Sexual Harassment Verdict And $680,000 Fee Award Affirmed -
Taylor v. Nabors Drilling USA, LP, 222 Cal. App. 4th 1228 (2014)
Max Taylor worked as a floorhand on an oil rig where he alleged he was...more
The Mayor of San Francisco recently signed an ordinance that prohibits private employers and city contractors and subcontractors (collectively "contractors") from asking job applicants about their criminal histories until...more
TV Station's Failure To Hire Weather News Anchor Was Protected By Free Speech Rights -
Hunter v. CBS Broadcasting, Inc., 221 Cal. App. 4th 1510 (2013) -
Kyle Hunter sued CBS Broadcasting for age and gender...more
Employer Was Entitled To "Substantial Motivating Factor" Jury Instruction -
Alamo v. Practice Mgmt. Info. Corp., 219 Cal. App. 4th 466 (2013) -
In one of the first appellate opinions to consider the new jury...more
On October 10, 2013, Governor Jerry Brown approved S.B. 530 to further limit public and private employers from inquiring into or otherwise considering certain types of criminal convictions. The new law takes effect January 1,...more
Employee Must Prove That Illegal Retaliation Was The "But For" Cause Of Adverse Job Action Under Title VII -
University of Tex. S.W. Med. Ctr. v. Nassar, 570 U.S. ___, 2013 WL 3155234 (2013) -
The United States...more
7/12/2013
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
But For Causation ,
CAFA ,
Class Action ,
Discrimination ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Harassment ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Misclassification ,
Over-Time ,
Race Discrimination ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Retaliation ,
SCOTUS ,
SEIU ,
Settlement ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Supervisors ,
Title VII ,
Unions ,
UT Southwestern Medical v Nassar ,
Vance v. Ball State University
In This Issue:
- $1.347 Million Award To Former General Counsel For Breach Of Implied Contract Is Upheld - Faigin v. Signature Group Holdings, Inc., 211 Cal. App. 4th 726 (2012)
- $114,000 Pregnancy...more
1/14/2013
/ Breach of Implied Contract ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Disability ,
Discrimination ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
FEHA ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Jury Instructions ,
Lucasfilm ,
Negligent Supervision ,
Over-Time ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Termination ,
Workplace Violence