Washington State employers are eagerly awaiting a state Supreme Court decision regarding whether, under the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA), a “job applicant” must have a good-faith or bona fide intent to secure...more
In May 2025, the Supreme Court of Washington overruled previous precedent regarding the deliberate intent to injure exception related to workers’ compensation immunity for employers, finding that an employee may sue its...more
Following a recent Washington Supreme Court decision, plaintiffs’ attorneys in Washington are targeting a new type of class action claim against employers: alleged violations of Washington’s noncompetition statute based on...more
A recent Washington State Supreme Court decision addressed a simmering conflict between the statutory right of employees earning less than double minimum wage to work a second job, on the one hand, and employees’ duty of...more
The Washington Supreme Court recently entertained oral arguments in Branson v. Washington Fine Wines on the following certified question from the W.D. Washington regarding the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (“EPOA”)...more
On January 23, 2025, the Washington Supreme Court held employers who pay their employees less than twice the minimum wage cannot prohibit them from working second jobs, subject to a few, limited exceptions. Employers who...more
On January 23, 2025, the Washington Supreme Court held that two Washington workers can argue that their former employer imposed unreasonable restrictions in violation of a state statute regulating non-compete agreements that...more
In a case of first impression, the Washington Supreme Court interpreted Washington law regarding noncompete agreements to broadly protect employees who earn less than twice the state minimum wage from unreasonable...more
The Washington Supreme Court recently considered whether it would adopt the "apex doctrine." This doctrine is a framework used by some courts to evaluate whether a party may take the deposition of a company's executives and...more
In Stratford v. Umpqua Bank, No. 100717-5 (Sept. 14, 2023) (slip op.), the Washington Supreme Court rejected the application of the “apex doctrine” in Washington. The apex doctrine has been adopted by some jurisdictions to...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more