California Trucking Association v. Bonta, No. 20-55106, 2021 WL 1656283 (9th Cir. Apr. 28, 2021) -
Summary : The Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act does not preempt the “ABC test” for determining whether a...more
5/12/2021
/ ABC Test ,
Cal Code of Civil Procedure ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Code ,
Preemption ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held today that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (“FAAAA”) does not preempt application of California’s Assembly Bill 5 (“AB 5”), codified as amended at Labor...more
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
Donohue v. AMN Services., LLC, No. S253677, 2021 WL 728871 (Cal. Feb. 25, 2021) -
Summary: Employers cannot engage in the practice of rounding time punches in the meal period context.
Time records that show...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
Shirvanyan v. Los Angeles Community. College District, No. B296593, 2020 WL 7706321 (Cal. Ct. App. Nov. 30, 2020) -
The availability of a reasonable accommodation is an element of a claim under the Fair Employment and...more
1/11/2021
/ CA Supreme Court ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
FEHA ,
Interactive Process ,
Preemption ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers Compensation Act
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
California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act requires that certain “mandated reporters” report whenever they, in their professional capacity or within the scope of their employment, have knowledge of or observe a child...more
Summary: Employers have a duty to investigate the accuracy of any criminal conviction report prior to terminating an employee on the basis of such information where there is evidence that the report may be incorrect. ...more
11/13/2020
/ Absenteeism ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Judgment As A Matter Of Law ,
Labor Code ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wrongful Termination
Under California law, employers must pay their employees overtime rates unless an exemption applies. One such exemption, the “administrative” exemption, excludes from state overtime requirements an employee primarily engaged...more
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
Robinson v. Southern Counties Oil Co, 53 Cal. App. 5th 476 (2020) -
Summary: Res judicata bars a PAGA claim when the employer has already settled a separate PAGA claim covering the same claims and time period.
An...more
9/22/2020
/ Amended Rules ,
Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Commonality ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
FRCP 23 ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Res Judicata ,
Reversal ,
Standing
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) has recently issued a half-dozen decisions addressing the lawfulness of employee arbitration agreements. Employers should not ignore this body of law, which applies to...more
8/12/2020
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Contract Drafting ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Contract ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Non-Union ,
Reversible Error ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Savings Clause ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Membership ,
Waiver of Rights
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
Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, 140 S. Ct. 1731 (2020) -
Summary: Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity....more
7/15/2020
/ Altitude Express Inc v Zarda ,
Appeals ,
Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
CA Supreme Court ,
California ,
Class Action ,
Commuting ,
Compensation Schemes ,
Control Test ,
EEOC v RG & GR Harris Funeral Homes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Gender Identity ,
Hiring & Firing ,
IWC ,
Labor Code ,
LGBTQ ,
Mileage Reimbursement ,
Out-of-State Employees ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Summary Judgment ,
Title VII ,
Transgender ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders ,
Wage Statements
In a pair of overlapping opinions issued today – Ward v. United Airlines, Inc. and Oman v. Delta Air Lines, Inc. – the California Supreme Court addressed a wide variety of unsettled questions in California wage-and-hour law....more
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
Anthony v. TRAX Int’l Corp., No. 18-15662, 2020 WL 1898843 (9th Cir. Apr. 17, 2020) -
Summary: An employer may use after-acquired evidence to show that a plaintiff is not a qualified individual under the Americans with...more
5/9/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Appeals ,
Appellate Courts ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Defense Strategies ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Job Duties ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Managers ,
Punitive Damages ,
Qualification Standards ,
Unlimited Benefits ,
Vacation Leave ,
Vacation Pay ,
Wage and Hour
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
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) sets a 500-employee threshold for purposes of the emergency paid sick leave and family medical leave expansion provisions. Many employers raise the question of whether...more
3/31/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EFMLA ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
EPSLA ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Joint Employers ,
Relief Measures ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Small Business Loans ,
Tax Credits ,
Threshold Requirements
Frlekin v. Apple, Inc., -- Cal. -- (2020) -
Summary: The time employees spent on Apple’s premises waiting for and undergoing a mandatory exit search of personal belongings was compensable as “hours worked” under Wage...more
3/11/2020
/ Appeals ,
Apple ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Class Action ,
Contract Drafting ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Exit Inspections ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitals ,
Job Applicants ,
Nurses ,
Privity of Contract ,
Release Agreements ,
Res Judicata ,
Right to Control ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Security Checks ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Teachers ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders
A growing number of state and local governments across the country are enacting laws that limit employers’ ability to ask about or consider applicants’ salary history. These laws are part of a nationwide effort to reduce pay...more
2/20/2020
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay Act ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Local Ordinance ,
Pay Discrimination ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Preemption ,
Race Discrimination ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Split of Authority ,
State and Local Government ,
State Bans ,
State Labor Laws
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
On February 6, 2020, in a 2-1 decision, the California Court of Appeal (Fourth District, Division Two) held that an employee's settlement agreement with a staffing agency on a wage-and-hour claim does not necessarily preclude...more
2/11/2020
/ Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Contract Drafting ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hospitals ,
Joint Employers ,
Nurses ,
Privity of Contract ,
Reaffirmation ,
Release Agreements ,
Res Judicata ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Split of Authority ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Subsequent Litigation ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Wage and Hour
On January 31, 2020, Judge Kimberly Mueller issued a preliminary injunction "in full" preventing the State of California from enforcing AB 51, the state's new law effectively banning mandatory employee arbitration...more
2/5/2020
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
DFEH ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Preemption ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
State Bans ,
State Labor Laws ,
TRO