News & Analysis as of

CA Supreme Court Wage and Hour

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

California Supreme Court Defines “Reasonable Effort” That is Required for a Good-Faith Defense to a Claim for Unpaid Wages

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP on

The California Supreme Court recently issued an opinion that serves as an important reminder to employers: good intentions regarding compliance with wage laws are not enough to avoid liquidated damages for minimum wage...more

Fisher Phillips

Looking Ahead to Leeper: California Supreme Court to Address “Headless” PAGA Claims

Fisher Phillips on

Even with the statutory clarifications that came along with last year’s PAGA reforms, California courts continue to wrestle with one of the thorniest aspects of the law: whether plaintiffs can maintain particularly troubling...more

Morgan Lewis

California Supreme Court: ‘Good Faith’ Defense to Minimum Wage Liquidated Damages Must Show Attempt to Understand Law

Morgan Lewis on

The California Supreme Court recently held in Iloff v. LaPaille that an employer seeking to assert the good-faith defense to avoid mandated liquidated damages for failing to pay an employee the minimum wages must show that...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

National State Employment Law Update – September 2025 Changes

Amundsen Davis LLC on

Below are the key state employment law changes that have occurred in September 2025. Employers should review these updates to ensure compliance with new leave rights, posting requirements, and employee protections across...more

Lewitt Hackman

Good Faith Requires Action: The New Standard for Employer Defense

Lewitt Hackman on

As defense attorneys, we often encounter matters where an employer’s good-faith mistake gives rise to wage and hour litigation. While ignorance of the law generally provides no defense, a good-faith mistake, historically...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Minimum Wage Defense Must Show Reasonable Attempt to Follow the Law

When it comes to minimum wage law violations in California, employers should take note that ignorance of the law has been ruled out as a valid good-faith defense to an award of liquidated damages. In Iloff v. LaPaille, the...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

California Supreme Court raises bar for employers: “We didn’t know” is no defense

In a unanimous decision that strengthened California’s already robust worker protections laws, the state’s Supreme Court has made it harder for employers to avoid increased damages for minimum wage violations. The ruling in...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Supreme Court of California Rules Employers Can’t Claim Ignorance on State Wage Violations

On August 21, 2025, the Supreme Court of California ruled that employers must demonstrate that they took reasonable steps to comply with minimum wage laws to mount a good-faith defense against liquidated damages. The decision...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Minimum Wage Good Faith Defense and Labor Commissioner Appeal Scope

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

The California Supreme Court held that an employer must prove that it made a reasonable attempt to decipher the requirements of the law governing minimum wages in order to avail itself of the good faith defense against...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

California Supreme Court Cases Employers Should Watch in 2025

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The California Supreme Court issued several important decisions in 2024 about issues such as the application of PAGA to public employees and the definition of “hours worked.” Several cases are pending before the state’s high...more

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

Stricter Controls Over Wage Statement Penalty Awards Are a Gift For Some

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP on

California law has long held that an employer’s good faith dispute over wages owed, if any, to its employees will preclude the imposition of “waiting time” penalties otherwise due following the termination of their...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

A Reminder of Changes to California Workplace Law from 2024

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

As we wrap up 2024, here is a review of some of the changes to California employment law that will continue to affect employers in 2025. Legislative Changes...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

One Use of the “N-word” Lands an Employer in a Jury Trial – Lessons to Learn

Fox Rothschild LLP on

One instance of a coworker directing the “N-word” to a Black employee can rise to the level of being so severe as to make for a racially hostile work environment in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act...more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

A Glimmer of Hope for Employers Defending Against PAGA Claims

The future of PAGA continues to look a bit brighter for employers as new favorable case law emerges. We previously reported on Turrieta v. Lyft, Inc. wherein the California Supreme Court ruled that PAGA plaintiffs have no...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Another Circuit Rules Bristol-Myers Applies to FLSA Collective Actions, Bars Out-of-State Opt-Ins

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit joins a growing number of federal circuits to hold the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2017 decision in Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court, that sharply limited the use of nationwide...more

Fisher Phillips

California Supreme Court Rules Public Employers Are Exempt from PAGA: What Employers Need to Know + 4 Practical Tips

Fisher Phillips on

The California Supreme Court just ruled that public employers are not subject to civil penalties under the state’s Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA). In a pivotal decision, the court held that public entities,...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

Supreme Court Holds that Public Entities Are Not Subject to PAGA and Various Labor Code Violations

CDF Labor Law LLP on

On August 15, 2024, the California Supreme Court issued a momentous unanimous decision in Stone v. Alameda Health System (“Stone”), concluding that public employers are exempt from various Labor Code provisions and PAGA...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

California’s Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 22 Allowing Gig Workers To Be Classified As Independent Contractors

Amundsen Davis LLC on

On July 25, 2024, CaliforniaCalifornia’s Supreme Court issued a highly anticipated ruling that allows app-based rideshare and delivery companies to classify drivers as independent contractors instead of employees, if certain...more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

Hot PAGA Summer Rolls on with Another “Win” for Employers

The “Summer of PAGA” continued last week when the California Supreme Court ruled in Turrieta v. Lyft, Inc., Case No. S271721, that a plaintiff in a Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) action does not have standing to...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

California Supreme Court Slams the Door on Ride Sharing Employees’ Attempts to Disrupt PAGA Settlements

CDF Labor Law LLP on

CDF Wage and Hour Task Force – Monthly Updates and Tips - On Thursday, the California Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated decision in the matter of Turrieta v. Lyft, Inc.....more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Supreme Court of California Upholds Law Classifying App-Based Drivers as Independent Contractors

On July 25, 2024, the Supreme Court of California upheld a state law permitting ride-sharing apps to continue classifying their drivers as independent contractors, rather than employees. ...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Proposition 22 Survives: App-Based Rideshare and Delivery Companies May Continue to Properly Classify Drivers as Independent...

Fox Rothschild LLP on

In a substantial win for app-based rideshare and delivery companies, the California Supreme Court unanimously upheld California Proposition 22 as constitutional on July 25, 2024. California Ballot Initiative Proposition 22...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

California Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 22: What It Means for Gig Economy Workers and Companies

CDF Labor Law LLP on

Last week, on July 25, 2024, the California Supreme Court in Castellanos v. State of California unanimously upheld Proposition 22, the 2020 ballot measure that allows gig economy businesses like Uber and Lyft to legally...more

Epstein Becker & Green

The Gig Continues: California Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 22

Epstein Becker & Green on

On July 25, 2024, the California Supreme Court issued its long-awaited ruling in Castellanos et al., v. State of California and Protect App-Based Drivers and Services, et al., upholding the 2020 voter initiative known as...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

PAGA Amendments: A Reprieve for Employers Proactively Addressing Labor Code Violations, but Ambiguities Remain

On July 1, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a package of reforms to the Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”), a statute that has created headaches for employers and driven up wage and hour litigation...more

646 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 26

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide