On January 1, 2020, California’s new worker classification law known as Assembly Bill 5 (“AB 5”), goes into effect. AB 5 codifies the three-factor “ABC” test adopted by the California Supreme Court in its 2018 Dynamex...more
12/16/2019
/ ABC Test ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Dynamex ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Code ,
Labor Regulations ,
Misclassification ,
Retroactive Application ,
State Labor Laws
California Supreme Court Invalidates Agreement To Arbitrate Wage Disputes -
OTO, LLC v. Kho, 2019 WL 4065524 (Cal. S. Ct. 2019) -
In the most recent chapter of the ongoing saga regarding the enforceability of...more
9/18/2019
/ Amended Complaints ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-SLAPP ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Bill Cosby ,
CA Supreme Court ,
CAFA ,
Cal Code of Civil Procedure ,
Defamation ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Free Speech ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
Obesity ,
Race Discrimination ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Retaliation ,
Unconscionable Contracts ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Vicarious Liability ,
Wage and Hour
Yesterday September 12, 2019, the California Supreme Court held that private litigants may not recover unpaid wages under the Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”). See ZB, N.A. v. Superior Court (Lawson) (Cal....more
9/16/2019
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Labor Code ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
Assembly Bill 5, a proposed new law currently pending in the California legislature, would limit and codify last year’s California Supreme Court Dynamex opinion. If passed and signed into law by Gov. Newsom (he’s already said...more
9/5/2019
/ CA Supreme Court ,
DoorDash ,
Dynamex ,
Gig Economy ,
Governor Newsom ,
Independent Contractors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Lyft ,
Misclassification ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Uber ,
Unions
Strict Independent Contractor Test Applies Retroactively -
Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising Int'l, 2019 WL 1945001 (9th Cir. 2019) -
Last year, the California Supreme Court in Dynamex Ops. W. Inc. v. Superior Court, 4...more
5/17/2019
/ ABC Test ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
FEHA ,
Former Employee ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
Retroactive Application ,
State Labor Laws ,
Title VII ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour
Last year, we questioned whether California’s new restrictions on independent contractors would apply retroactively. Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit decided that the landmark ruling in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior...more
Eddie Money Beats Discrimination Lawsuit Based On Free Speech Right -
Symmonds v. Mahoney, 31 Cal. App. 5th 1096 (2019) -
After 41 years, singer/songwriter Edward Joseph Mahoney (aka "Eddie Money") terminated the...more
3/18/2019
/ Breach of Contract ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
FEHA ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA) ,
Joint Employers ,
On-Call Employees ,
Popular ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Title VII ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblowers
Employee Non-Solicitation Provision Was An Unenforceable Restraint -
AMN Healthcare, Inc. v. Aya Healthcare Servs., Inc., 2018 WL 5669154 (Cal. Ct. App. 2018) -
AMN and Aya are competitors in the business of providing...more
11/20/2018
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Attorney's Fees ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
First Amendment ,
Misappropriation ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Trade Secrets ,
Uniform Trade Secrets Acts ,
UTSA ,
Wage and Hour
On May 1, we reported about the Dynamex Operations W., Inc. v. Superior Court opinion in which the California Supreme Court adopted a new standard (the “ABC test”) for determining if a worker may properly be classified as an...more
Employer Must Obtain Written Authorization To Conduct Background Check -
Connor v. First Student, Inc., 2018 WL 3966434 (Cal. S. Ct. 2018) -
Eileen Connor worked as a school bus driver for Laidlaw Education Services, a...more
9/13/2018
/ Background Checks ,
Breach of Contract ,
CA Supreme Court ,
CAFA ,
Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act (CCRAA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Form I-9 ,
Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA) ,
Jury Awards ,
Lanham Act ,
Popular ,
Sanctuary Cities ,
Settlement Agreements ,
State Immigration Laws ,
State Labor Laws ,
Whistleblowers ,
Written Consent
On May 1, we reported on the California Supreme Court’s opinion in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court, in which the Supreme Court set forth the standard for determining if a worker may properly be classified as...more
In this episode of The Proskauer Brief, partner Tony Oncidi and senior counsel Harris Mufson discuss key developments in California employment law, including a new test to determine whether workers are independent contractors...more
6/5/2018
/ #MeToo ,
ABC Test ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Independent Contractors ,
Podcasts ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Standard of Review ,
State Labor Laws
We invite you to review our newly-posted May 2018 California Employment Law Notes, a comprehensive review of the latest and most significant developments in California employment law. The highlights include...more
5/11/2018
/ ABC Test ,
Anti-SLAPP ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Title VII ,
Wage and Hour
On April 30, 2018, the California Supreme Court issued its unanimous ruling in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court, making it even harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors (rather than...more
Trial Court Erroneously Granted Bill Cosby's Anti-SLAPP Motion -
Dickinson v. Cosby, 17 Cal. App. 5th 655 (2017) -
After Janice Dickinson went public with her accusations of rape against Bill Cosby, Cosby's attorney...more
1/17/2018
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-SLAPP ,
Breach of Contract ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Defamation ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Discovery ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
FEHA ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
Layoffs ,
Misclassification ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Summary Judgment ,
Title VII ,
USERRA ,
WARN Act ,
Wrongful Termination
Jobseeker Website May Be Compelled To Disclose Identity Of Anonymous Posters Who Criticized Employer - ZL Technologies, Inc. v. Does 1-7, 13 Cal. App. 5th 603 (2017) - ZL Technologies brought suit, alleging libel per se and...more
9/13/2017
/ Accrual Requirements ,
Age Discrimination ,
Anti-SLAPP ,
Appeals ,
Burden-Shifting ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Cause of Action Accrual ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Day of Rest Laws ,
Demurrers ,
DFEH ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Discovery ,
Discovery Disputes ,
Dismissals ,
Evidence ,
FEHA ,
First Amendment ,
Former Employee ,
Genuine Issue of Material Fact ,
Independent Contractors ,
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress ,
Interim Adverse Judgment Rule ,
Involuntary Reduction in Force ,
Libel ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Malicious Prosecution ,
Motion to Compel ,
Pretext ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Probable Cause ,
Public Policy ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remedies ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
Right to Privacy ,
Section 998 ,
Settlement Offer ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Subpoenas ,
Summary Judgment ,
Telemarketing ,
Trade Secrets ,
Vacation Pay ,
Vicarious Liability ,
Waiting Periods ,
Websites
In response to three questions asked of it by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the California Supreme Court opined as follows...more
7/11/2017
/ Abuse of Discretion ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Breach of Contract ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Day of Rest Laws ,
Dismissals ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-9 ,
Mortgage Servicers ,
Motion to Compel ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
On-Duty Meal Period Waivers ,
Petition for Writ of Mandate ,
Punitive Damages ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Retaliation ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Subpoenas ,
Underwriting ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work-Product Doctrine
$90 Million Judgment Reinstated: Employers Must Relieve Employees Of All Duties During Their Rest Periods -
Augustus v. ABM Sec. Servs., Inc., 2016 WL 7407328 (Cal. S. Ct. 2016) -
Jennifer Augustus filed this...more
1/10/2017
/ Anti-SLAPP ,
Appeals ,
Apple ,
Assault ,
Breach of Contract ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Car Accident ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
CNN ,
Defamation ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Discrimination ,
DLSE ,
Emotional Distress Damages ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Protection ,
FEHA ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Hostile Environment ,
On-Call Employees ,
Preemption ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Retaliation ,
Safe Harbors ,
Security Guards ,
Stock Options ,
Summary Judgment ,
Teamsters ,
Unions ,
UPS ,
Vacation Pay ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Statements ,
Wages ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Wrongful Termination
$90 Million Judgment Reinstated: Employers Must Relieve Employees Of All Duties During Their Break Time -
This week, the California Supreme Court ruled that California law strictly prohibits on-duty rest periods. “What...more
Employee Who Needed To Assist Disabled Son Could Proceed With "Associational Disability Discrimination" Claim -
Castro-Ramirez v. Dependable Highway Express, Inc., 246 Cal. App. 4th 180 (2016) -
Luis...more
5/11/2016
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Association Discrimination ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Class Action ,
Conciliation ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Doffing ,
Donning ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Farmers Insurance ,
FEHA ,
Hostile Environment ,
Judicial Review ,
Mach Mining v EEOC ,
Medical Leave ,
Misclassification ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Prevailing Party ,
Qui Tam ,
Raytheon ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Retaliation ,
SCOTUS ,
Seating ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Statistical Sampling ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Suitable Seats Lawsuits ,
Tyson Foods ,
Tyson Foods v Bouaphakeo ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblowers ,
Wrongful Termination
Mendoza v. Nordstrom, Inc., 2015 WL 691304 (9th Cir. 2015) -
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has certified three questions to the California Supreme Court...more