Magadia v. Wal-Mart Associates, Inc., No. 19-16184, 2021 WL 2176584 (9th Cir., May 28, 2021) -
Summary: An employee lacks Article III standing to bring a PAGA claim in federal court for Labor Code violations that the...more
6/11/2021
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Article III ,
Demurrers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
FEHA ,
Harassment ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Race Discrimination ,
Standing ,
Unruh Civil Rights Act ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Statements
Clark v. Superior Court., No. D077711, 2021 WL 1050057 (Cal. Ct. App. Mar. 19, 2021) -
Summary: Employee exhausted her administrative remedies despite failing to identify her employer’s proper legal name in her DFEH...more
Today, the California Supreme Court held that employers cannot use the practice of rounding time punches in the meal period context, and that unrounded time records that show noncompliant meal periods raise a rebuttable...more
International Brotherhood. of Teamsters, Local 2785 v. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration No. 18-73488, 2021 WL 139728 (9th Cir. Jan. 15, 2021) -
Summary: Federal law preempts California’s meal and rest break...more
2/12/2021
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Commercial Truck Drivers ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
FMCSA ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Code ,
Preemption ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Trucking Industry ,
Wage and Hour
Semprini v. Wedbush Securities., Inc., 57 Cal. App. 5th 246 (2020) -
Summary: A compensation plan based solely on commissions, with recoverable advances on future commissions, does not qualify as “salary” for purposes of...more
12/14/2020
/ ABC Test ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Business & Professions Code ,
Confidential Information ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA) ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Preemption ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unfair Competition Law (UCL) ,
Wage and Hour
Sanchez v. Martinez, No. C083268, 2020 WL 5494239 (Cal. Ct. App. Sept. 11, 2020) -
Summary: Piece-rate employees who are provided with unpaid rest breaks are entitled to damages in the amount of the minimum wage for actual...more
10/14/2020
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Damages ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Judicial Review ,
Piece-Rate Pay ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
This year has been fraught with disruption. To make things easier, Payne & Fears is offering one full day of seminars on pressing employment law topics. Attendees can join from the comfort of their homes or offices. Attend...more
9/24/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defense Strategies ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Layoffs ,
Misclassification ,
Political Expression ,
Political Speech ,
Remote Working ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Social Media Policy ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tax Liability ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars
Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, 140 S. Ct. 2049 (2020) -
Summary: The ministerial exception, grounded in First Amendment’s religion clauses, barred teachers’ employment discrimination claims where teachers...more
8/11/2020
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Article III ,
CA Supreme Court ,
CAFA ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Contract Terms ,
Discovery ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
First Amendment ,
FRCP 23 ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Our Lady of Guadalupe School v Morrissey-Berru ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Religious Workers ,
Right to a Jury ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
State Arbitration Acts ,
Waiver of Rights
In Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, 591 U.S. ___, 2020 WL 3808420 (2020) (“Morrissey-Berru”), the United States Supreme Court provided further guidance on the application of the “ministerial exception,” which...more
7/13/2020
/ Age Discrimination ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Appeals ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employment Discrimination ,
First Amendment ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Our Lady of Guadalupe School v Morrissey-Berru ,
Religious Schools ,
Religious Workers ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Teachers ,
Title VII ,
Wrongful Termination
Betancourt v. OS Rest. Servs., LLC, No. B293625, 2020 WL 2570839 (Cal. Ct. App. Apr. 30, 2020) -
Summary: A plaintiff is not entitled to recover penalties for waiting time and wage statement violations based on claims of...more
6/9/2020
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equitable Estoppel ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Third-Party Beneficiaries ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
As states lift their “stay-at-home” orders, employers who have struggled to survive the economic toll of the COVID-19 crisis now face a new threat: uncertain legal liability in a post-COVID market. As we transition away from...more
5/27/2020
/ California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Failure to Accommodate ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Government Lockdown ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
High Risk Covid Employees ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Popular ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Rehiring Issues ,
Remote Working ,
Retaliation ,
Risk Assessment ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
State Labor Laws ,
Voluntary Reduction in Force ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (“PPP/HCEA”) into law. This legislation infuses approximately $300 billion into the recently depleted Paycheck...more
Scalia v. Employer Solutions Staffing Group, LLC, 951 F.3d 1097 (9th Cir. 2020) -
Summary: Neither the Fair Labor Standards Act nor federal common law provide an employer with a right to seek contribution or...more
4/17/2020
/ Appeals ,
Background Checks ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Contributions ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Common Law ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Indemnification ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Law Violations ,
New Hires ,
Over-Time ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reversal ,
Standing
As COVID-19 containment efforts expand, a growing number of employers are seeing major disruptions to their operations or reductions in services. Similarly, a growing number of employees are concerned about significant drops...more
On February 13, 2020, in a unanimous opinion, the California Supreme Court held in Frlekin v. Apple Inc., Case No. S243805, that time spent on an employer's premises waiting for, and undergoing, required exit searches of...more
Ridgeway v. Wal-Mart, Inc., 946 F.3d 1066 (9th Cir. 2020) -
The employer must pay minimum wages to employees for time spent on mandated layovers where the employer’s policy imposes constraints on employees’ movements...more
2/12/2020
/ Administrative Complaints ,
Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Truck Drivers ,
Concurrent Litigation ,
DFEH ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equitable Tolling ,
Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA) ,
FEHA ,
Jury Trial ,
Medical Leave ,
Minimum Wage ,
Police ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Preemption ,
Reaffirmation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Reversal ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Summary Judgment ,
Traveling Employee ,
Wal-Mart ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
This month’s key employment law cases address the test for independent contractor status, the legality of an incentive compensation system, and personal liability for wage and hour violations....more
12/3/2018
/ ABC Test ,
Alter Ego ,
Appeals ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Officers ,
Drivers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Misclassification ,
Personal Liability ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Reversal ,
Summary Judgment ,
Taxi Cabs ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders
This complimentary webinar will educate business owners, in-house counsel and human resources professionals on important court developments in 2018 and new legislation taking effect in 2019....more
In a major victory for ride-share company Uber Technologies, Inc. ("Uber"), the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued its much anticipated opinion in O'Connor v. Uber Technologies, Inc., Case No....more
10/5/2018
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Class Certification ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Motion to Compel ,
NLRA ,
Opt-Outs ,
Reversal ,
Uber ,
Unconscionable Contracts
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
1/29/2018
/ Appeals ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
FEHA ,
Frivolous Lawsuits ,
Harassment ,
Jury Trial ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Motion to Compel ,
Prevailing Party ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statutory Penalties ,
Title VII ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Vacated ,
Wage and Hour
Assembly Bill 1008 broadens the current “ban the box” law beyond public employers to apply to private employers....more
May's key California employment law cases involve “on call” meal and rest periods, and employees working seven days a week. ...more
7/10/2017
/ Appeals ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Day of Rest Laws ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Off-Duty Employee Access ,
On-Call Employees ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules