Last month, in Jane Doe v. Alkiviades David, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury returned a verdict in a sexual assault and harassment case in the amount of $900 million. This verdict is one of the largest ever for a...more
8/9/2024
/ Arbitration ,
Cause of Action Accrual ,
Compensatory Damages ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Jury Instructions ,
Jury Trial ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Punitive Damages ,
Retaliation ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment
Last week, the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that employers are not liable to nonemployees who contract COVID-19 from employee household members that bring the virus home from their workplace, because “[a]n...more
With the arrival of the new year comes the effective date of many new leave laws (and expansion of existing leave laws) across the United States. Below we summarize family and sick leave laws that will take effect across...more
12/26/2022
/ California ,
Colorado ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Leave of Absence ,
New York ,
Oregon ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government
Last week, the California Supreme Court agreed to decide two unique questions with far-reaching implications for employer liability: (1) may an employer be held liable to an employee’s spouse when an employee contracts...more
As we have previously reported, jury verdicts in employment cases have continued to skyrocket in recent months, and there is no sign they are leveling off. Late last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded a total of...more
6/6/2022
/ Compensatory Damages ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
Internal Reporting ,
Jury Trial ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Punitive Damages ,
Retaliation ,
Sexual Harassment
On May 10, 2022, Delaware Governor John Carey signed into law a bill that will require private employers with ten or more employees in Delaware to provide up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave beginning in January...more
California’s minimum wage currently is double its federal counterpart. And, it’s going to keep climbing. Late last week, Gov. Newsom announced that the Golden State’s minimum wage will increase to $15.50 for all employers...more
Many employers undertake routine background checks as part of their hiring process. To be effective, of course, the process has to be completed in a timely manner....more
3/16/2022
/ Background Checks ,
California ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Labor Laws
On January 27, 2022, the California Supreme Court settled an inconsistency that has divided the courts of appeal with respect to the proper evidentiary standard for whistleblower retaliation claims under California Labor Code...more
As we reported here, Cal/OSHA’s revised COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) took effect on January 14, 2022. The controversial emergency regulations, which have caused employers countless headaches, survived their...more
1/19/2022
/ Appeals ,
Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Workplace Safety
Last month, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (“OSHSB”) readopted and revised the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”). By and large, OSHSB’s revised ETS retain most of...more
1/12/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
CDPH ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
New Regulations ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Quarantine ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Things aren’t looking so good for the long-term health of the Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”).
On top of the U.S. Supreme Court’s granting review of a case challenging PAGA’s anti-arbitration rule and a...more
As we recently reported, California juries continue to award massive verdicts to employees with alarming regularity. And, just in time for the holidays, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury upped the ante on Thursday, handing a...more
After temporarily falling to third place in 2020, California once again claims the top spot on the American Tort Reform Foundation’s (ATRF) annual list of “Judicial Hellholes.” While California has not taken home the gold in...more
Kevin Spacey’s legal troubles have taken a costly turn as the production companies behind Netflix’s House of Cards recently asked a California court to confirm an arbitration award of almost $31 million against Spacey for...more
11/30/2021
/ #MeToo ,
Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Discovery ,
Discovery Disputes ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hostile Environment ,
Legal Advice Privilege ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Privileged Communication ,
Reputation Management ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment