The past year saw appellate courts weigh in on a number of critical questions regarding the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), headlined by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana, 142 S....more
Rising inflation, increased costs of capital and the anticipation of a downturn in the economy have caused companies in many industries to begin to implement workforce reorganizations and reductions. In making plans for...more
On July 20, 2022, the California Supreme Court granted review in Adolph v. Uber Technologies, Inc., Cal. Ct. App. Case No. G059860, which indicates that it may intend to address the questions of state law addressed by the...more
Key Points -
On May 23, 2022, in Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, Inc., the California Supreme Court held that a failure to provide premium pay for meal or rest break violations under California Labor Code § 226.7...more
On March 23, 2022, in Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills, Inc., the California Court of Appeal, held that “a court cannot strike a PAGA claim based on manageability.” This decision creates a split of authority with Wesson v....more
Key Points The EFASASHA will invalidate most contractual provisions requiring the arbitration of claims alleging sexual assault or sexual harassment. The law will also invalidate pre-dispute joint-action waivers that relate...more
Key Points -
On January 1, 2022, SB 331—also known as the Silenced No More Act—went into effect in California. It prohibits clauses, in settlement agreements for civil or administrative claims, which prevent or restrict the...more
On September 30, 2021, the California Court of Appeal (4th District) decided Uribe v. Crown Building Maintenance Co., Case No. G057836. At issue in Uribe was a Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) settlement that purported to...more
On September 30, 2021, the California Court of Appeal (4th District) decided Uribe v. Crown Building Maintenance Co., Case No. G057836. At issue in Uribe was a Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) settlement that purported to...more
On September 27, 2021, Gov. Newsom signed into law SB 646, which exempts janitorial employees from PAGA if they are covered by a collective bargaining agreement meeting certain minimum criteria. The bill, which codifies a new...more
Earlier this year, the California Court of Appeal ruled that a plaintiff was permitted to pursue a PAGA claim for alleged violations of Labor Code Section 432.5, even though the statute of limitations on her individual claim...more
In Wesson v. Staples The Office Superstore, LLC, the California Court of Appeal held that “courts have inherent authority to ensure that PAGA claims can be fairly and efficiently tried and, if necessary, may strike claims...more
Key Points -
In Ferra v. Loews Hollywood Hotel, LLC, the California Supreme Court held that premiums paid for missed meal, rest or recovery periods must include nondiscretionary pay, not just hourly wages. The decision...more
In Donohue v. AMN Services, LLC, the California Supreme Court held that where employees’ time records reflect a missed, late or short meal break, a “rebuttable presumption” arises that a proper meal break was not provided....more
3/9/2021
/ CA Supreme Court ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Rounding ,
State Labor Laws ,
Timekeeping ,
Wage and Hour
Key Points:
- Numerous new California laws going into effect on January 1, 2021 (or earlier), will impact employers and employees.
- The most significant laws include new obligations to report employee pay data, an...more
12/23/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DFEH ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Code ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Key Points
- Cal/OSHA issued new emergency regulations regarding COVID-19 prevention and outbreaks in the workplace that are applicable to nearly all California employers, which were approved and became effective November...more
- The California Supreme Court held that time Apple employees spent waiting for and undergoing mandatory security inspections is compensable.
- The decision rejects the holding by some lower courts that if employees could...more
- A California district court has denied a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by Uber and Postmates challenging the constitutionality of California’s new worker classification law, Assembly Bill 5 (“AB 5”), finding...more
2/12/2020
/ ABC Test ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Protection ,
Exempt-Employees ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Likelihood of Success ,
Misclassification ,
Motor Carriers ,
Preemption ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Ridesharing ,
State Labor Laws ,
Trucking Industry
• Numerous new California laws going into effect on January 1, 2020, will impact employers and employees.
• The most significant laws include a new employee classification law, extension of the statute of limitations for...more
12/17/2019
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Arbitration Fees ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
DFEH ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Exemptions ,
FEHA ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Mandatory Arbitration ,
Minimum Wage ,
Minors ,
Misclassification ,
New Legislation ,
No-Rehire Provisions ,
OSHA ,
Restraining Orders ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Injury
• On September 12, 2019, in ZB, N.A. v. Superior Court (Lawson), Case No. S246711, the California Supreme Court held the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) does not allow recovery of unpaid wages under Labor Code Section...more
• On September 10, 2019, the California State Legislature passed AB 5, which codifies the “ABC test” in Dynamex Ops. West Inc. v. Superior Court, 4 Cal. 5th 903 (2018), for determining whether a worker is an employee or an...more
9/13/2019
/ ABC Test ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Code ,
Misclassification ,
Pending Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders
• The California Supreme Court recently held that an employee could not pursue contract and tort claims against a payroll service provider for unpaid wages.
• The Court found that (1) an employee was not a “third-party...more
2/13/2019
/ Breach of Contract ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Clerical Errors ,
Duty of Care ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Negligence ,
Negligent Misrepresentation ,
Payroll Companies ,
Third-Party Beneficiaries ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders
• The California Court of Appeal recently expanded the application of reporting time pay to certain types of “on-call” shifts.
• If an employer requires an employee to call in or otherwise contact the employer to find out...more
2/8/2019
/ Appeals ,
Call-In Pay ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
On-Call Employees ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retailers ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders ,
Work Schedules
• The 9th Circuit has ruled that employers may not rely on prior salary, alone or in combination with other factors, to justify wage disparities under the Equal Pay Act.
• The 9th Circuit ruling does not address whether...more
If you read one thing...
- With 9th Circuit ruling, California federal courts no longer a potential channel for employers to enforce representative action waivers for PAGA claims...more
10/2/2015
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Iskanian v CLS Transportation ,
Labor Code ,
Misclassification ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
SCOTUS