Patent Infringement: Successful Litigation Stays the "Course"
California employers know that the new year inevitably brings new workplace laws that are finalized at the end of the state’s legislative session in the fall. This year, state lawmakers considered over 2,700 bills – the most...more
Evenskaas v. California Transit Inc. reversed a Los Angeles Superior Court judge’s denial of an employer’s motion to compel arbitration of a former employee’s wage and hour class action. The trial court had concluded that the...more
On July 8, 2022, in Gist v. ZoAn Management, Inc., the Oregon Supreme Court affirmed the decisions of the trial court and court of appeals granting the defendants’ motion to compel arbitration. The court concluded that...more
A former driver for UberEats alleged that Uber misclassified drivers as independent contractors as part of a PAGA action. Uber sought an order to compel arbitration of the question of whether the plaintiff was an independent...more
In Garcia v. Haralambos Beverage Co., the California Court of Appeal embraced the adage “time kills all deals” to conclude that an employer waived its right to arbitrate the wage-hour claims at issue in the case by, among...more
This month's key California employment law cases involve disability discrimination, wage and hour, and arbitration agreements enforcement. Doe v. Dept. of Corrections & Rehabilitation, No. E071224, 2019 WL 6907515 (Cal....more
ZB, N.A. v. Super Ct. of San Diego Cty., 8 Cal. 5th 175, 252 Cal. Rptr. 3d 228 (2019) - Summary: Employee may not recover unpaid wages under Labor Code section 558 through PAGA. Facts: Plaintiff Lawson worked for...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Supreme Court has held that an individual may not seek unpaid wages under Labor Code section 558. Section 558 can be invoked only by the Labor Commissioner or by an individual suing under...more
This month's key employment law cases address the enforcement of arbitration agreements. Diaz v. Sohnen Enters., 34 Cal. App. 5th 126, 245 Cal. Rptr. 3d 827 (2019) Summary: When employee continues his or her employment...more
Estella Trammell was an at-will employee of AccentCare. She challenged the district court’s order requiring her to arbitrate a pay dispute with AccentCare. The district court held that there was an enforceable arbitration...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Supreme Court held that the Labor Management Relations Act does not preempt claims under the Labor Code where a defense requires little more than referring to a collective bargaining...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a must-read decision and case of first impression at the federal appellate level, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held late last week that a district court may not approve sending notice of an FLSA...more
Last week, employees received a rare victory that punches a sizable hole in previous laws that supported allowing arbitration in place of litigation. Recently, a unanimous Supreme Court determined that the regulation does not...more
In a decision that could have far-reaching implications for parts of the gig economy, the United States Supreme Court has held that the Federal Arbitration Act bars courts from compelling arbitration with respect to both...more
Last month, this blog discussed New Prime, Inc. v. Oliveira, a then-pending case before the Supreme Court that presented the question of whether arbitration agreements between trucking companies and independent contractor...more
On September 27, 2018, the Kentucky Supreme Court in Northern Kentucky Area Development District v. Snyder held that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) does not preempt a Kentucky statute, KRS § 336.070(2), barring employers...more
On the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year in Epic Systems Corporation v. Lewis, which held that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) does not bar class or collective action waivers in arbitration...more
On the heels of the Supreme Court's decision in Epic Systems Corporation v. Lewis, which held that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) does not bar class or collective action waivers in arbitration agreements, the 6th...more
Lopez v. Routt, 17 Cal. App. 5th 1006, 225 Cal. Rptr. 3d 851 (2017) - Facts: Plaintiff sued her employer and supervisor for harassment in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”). The matter...more
California defendants in class actions should be wary of seeking a strategic advantage by litigating before seeking to compel arbitration. The Court of Appeal held recently in Sprunk v. Prisma LLC that a defendant in class...more
This month’s key California employment law cases involve wage and hour (payment of wages) and civil procedure (class and representative actions). Wage and Hour - Payment of Wages: Minnick v. Auto. Creations, Inc., 2017 WL...more
In a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled today that plaintiffs in lawsuits brought pursuant to the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), can seek the contact information for their fellow...more
This month’s key California employment law cases involve arbitration and PAGA issues. Arbitration - Farrar v. Direct Commerce, Inc., 9 Cal. App. 5th 1257, 215 Cal. Rptr. 3d 785 (2017) - Summary: Arbitration...more
Terminix appealed from a district court order denying its motion to compel arbitration of a former employee’s representative claim under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) alleging that Terminix failed to...more
Four of the eight court cases we report on below in our February 2017 monthly update of IC misclassification cases involve Uber, and each of those cases were victories for the ride-sharing, on-demand company. Although none of...more