Assembly Bill 257, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (“FAST Recovery Act,” or the “Act”) became law in California on September 5, 2022....more
Past and present franchisees of commercial cleaning service franchisor, Jani-King, brought claims for violation of Connecticut minimum wage and anti-kickback laws, and unjust enrichment. They claimed Jani-King misclassified...more
11/1/2021
/ Appeals ,
Dismissals ,
Franchise Agreements ,
Franchisee ,
Franchises ,
Independent Contractors ,
Minimum Wage ,
Misclassification ,
Service Agreements ,
Summary Judgment ,
Unjust Enrichment ,
Wage and Hour
California Assembly Bill 257, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act or AB 257) was defeated by the California Assembly on June 3, 2021. The bill was introduced by Assembly Member Lorena...more
California Assembly Bill 257, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act is currently pending in the California Legislature, introduced by Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez....more
The Ninth Circuit ruled that a California Matco Tool franchisee, John Fleming, could bring a class action wage and hour suit in California, even though a forum selection clause in the distribution agreement specified Ohio...more
2/3/2020
/ Anti-Waiver Provisions ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Action ,
Forum Selection ,
Franchise Agreements ,
Franchise Laws ,
Franchisee ,
Franchisors ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Sales & Distribution Agreements ,
Severability Doctrine ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The Ninth Circuit sent shockwaves through the franchise industry in ruling that last year’s California Supreme Court decision broadening who may bring wage misclassification claims (Dynamex v. Superior Court) applied...more
6/1/2019
/ ABC Test ,
Appeals ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Franchisee ,
Franchises ,
Franchisors ,
Indemnification ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Misclassification ,
Remand ,
Retroactive Application ,
Reversal ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Wage and Hour
Employees of a Merry Maids home cleaning franchise brought a class action against the franchisee, the franchisor, its owner and affiliated entities claiming they were joint employers. A California federal district court...more
3/2/2019
/ Agency Relationship ,
Class Action ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Franchise Agreements ,
Franchisee ,
Franchises ,
Franchisors ,
Genuine Issue of Material Fact ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Reasonable Belief Test ,
Right to Control ,
State Labor Laws ,
Summary Judgment ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld summary judgment in favor of Taco Bell on class claims that employees should be paid under California law for time spent on company premises eating employer-discounted meals during...more
8/24/2018
/ Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Employment Policies ,
Franchisee ,
Franchises ,
Reaffirmation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Summary Judgment ,
Taco Bell ,
Wage and Hour
In Curry v. Equilon Enterprises LLC, a California court ruled, and the Court of Appeal affirmed, that a class-action wage and hour lawsuit against Shell Oil could not go forward because the service station manager bringing...more
In January 2016, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) determined that indirect control or the reserved right to control, even if unexercised, could be sufficient grounds to find a joint employer relationship between a...more
In Los Angeles Superior Court, McDonald's claimed victory when 6,600 workers seeking $41 million in back pay and penalties came away with less than 2% of the amount sought in a claim that the fast-food giant cheated them out...more
In 1981 “Video Killed the Radio Star” was the first music video MTV broadcast in the United States. The song was actually written a couple of years earlier, appeared on an album entitled The Age of Plastic by the Buggles, and...more
Direct control, indirect control…these are the employment litigation phrases that had franchisors cowering in duck-and-cover positions over the last few years. But the Department of Labor just issued a statement to breathe...more
A California federal judge dealt a major blow to employees of a Bay Area McDonald's in their effort to hold the franchisor responsible for its franchisee's alleged failure to pay wages and provide meal and rest breaks. The...more
Recently, some plaintiffs - employees of franchisees - have tried to hold franchisors responsible for unpaid overtime and other claimed violations by franchisees they work for. They use the theory that franchisors are their...more
There has been a lot of news lately about risks of franchisors being liable for acts and incidents at franchised locations. The National Labor Relations Board's general counsel recently announced he intends to claim...more