Summary: Courts must consider allegations of a racially hostile workplace “from the perspective of a reasonable person belonging to the racial or ethnic group of the plaintiff.” Under this framework, “a single racial epithet...more
8/20/2024
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
CA Supreme Court ,
California ,
FEHA ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
Internal Investigations ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Race Discrimination ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
Slurs
The Risk of Litigating Before Moving to Arbitrate - Many employers in California ask or require their employees to execute arbitration agreements. When a claim arises, the employer has a choice—proceed with litigation...more
Garcia v. Stoneledge Furniture LLC, 102 Cal. App. 5th 41 (2024) - Summary: Although parties may delegate questions regarding the validity of an arbitration agreement to the arbitrator, the delegation presupposes the existence...more
Governor Newsom, in partnership with legislative leadership and business and labor groups, announced an agreement to reform the Private Attorneys General Act, or PAGA. The proposed agreement includes sweeping changes to...more
Mattioda v. Nelson, 98 F.4th 1164 (9th Cir. 2024) - Summary: Disability-based harassment claims are available under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act....more
5/10/2024
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Breach of Contract ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Transfers ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Harassment ,
Labor Code ,
Muldrow v City of St Louis ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
SCOTUS ,
Stock Options ,
Title VII ,
Wages
The Question - The basics of California’s wage statement requirements should be familiar to employers. The consequences for failing to comply with these requirements can be severe....more
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier for employees to challenge discriminatory job transfers. In Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, the Court held that an employee challenging a job transfer under Title VII must show that...more
In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court held today that the Federal Arbitration Act’s (“FAA”) exemption for any “class of workers engaged in foreign or interstate commerce” is not limited to workers whose employers are in...more
Summary - To qualify as a transportation worker for purposes of the FAA, an employee’s relationship to the movement of goods must be sufficiently close enough to conclude that the employee’s work plays a tangible and...more
An issue that has long plagued employers in California is whether time an employee spends on the employer’s premises making their way to or from their worksite is compensable. We have seen a spike in lawsuits raising this...more
Summary: An employer waives its right to arbitration if it fails to pay its share of the arbitration filing fee within 30 days of the payment’s due date....more
Summary -
Emergency Rule 9, which tolled statutes of limitations for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is valid and operates to extend the time to file a civil suit for a PAGA claim as well as the time period to...more
9/22/2023
/ Appeals ,
CA Supreme Court ,
California ,
FEHA ,
Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) ,
Labor Code ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Remand ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations
Kuciemba v. Victory Woodworks Inc., 14 Cal. 4th 993 (2023)...
Adolph v. Uber Technologies Inc., 14 Cal. 5th 1104 (2023)...
Woodworth v. Loma Linda University Medical Center, No. E072704, 2023 WL 4701976 (Cal. Ct. App. July...more
Earlier this month, the National Labor Relations Board (the NLRB or the Board) released its highly anticipated decision in Stericycle Inc. The decision establishes a new, employee-friendly standard by which the Board will...more
Summary -
An employer must accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs unless it can show that doing so would “result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business.” ...more
The United States Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated labor decision in Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union No. 174 today. The 8-1 majority opinion is a win for management and...more
A plaintiff maintains standing to pursue a non-individual PAGA claim in state court when his individual PAGA claim is sent to arbitration pursuant to an arbitration agreement...more
Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. v. Hewitt, 143 Superior Court 677 (2023) -
Summary -
Employee was eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) because his “daily-rate” plan did not satisfy...more
Recent developments in the California Court of Appeal could impact pending or future Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) litigation.
Though many employers anxiously await a decision in the pending California Supreme Court...more
In a 6-3 decision issued today, the United States Supreme Court held that a former employee of an offshore oil rig, who earned more than $200,000 a year, was eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act...more
After more than three years of litigation, the Ninth Circuit has held that AB 51, California’s attempt to ban mandatory employment arbitration agreements, is unenforceable....more
Summary -
Where an employer can and does track the exact time in minutes that its employees work each shift, and those records show that employees were not paid for all the time they worked, neutral time rounding is not a...more
12/8/2022
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitrators ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
FEHA ,
FMCSA ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Issue Preclusion ,
Judgment on the Pleadings ,
Preemption ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Retroactivity ,
Split of Authority ,
Standing ,
State Labor Laws ,
Timekeeping ,
Wage and Hour
The California Court of Appeal issued a decision this week that could spell the end of time rounding in California. In Camp v. Home Depot U.S.A. Inc., No. H049033, 2022 WL 13874360 (Oct. 24, 2022), the court held that, where...more
Technology Credit Union v. Rafat, 82 Cal. App. 5th 314 (2022) -
Summary: To obtain a workplace violence restraining order, an employer must produce evidence of a knowing and willful statement or course of conduct that...more
Join us for our third annual all-day complimentary seminar on the most pressing employment law topics, transmitted to you in your home, office, or virtually anywhere with an internet connection. Attendees can enjoy one or all...more
9/22/2022
/ Affirmative Action ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Best Practices ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Viking River Cruises Inc v Moriana ,
Webinars