Summary: Courts must consider allegations of a racially hostile workplace “from the perspective of a reasonable person belonging to the racial or ethnic group of the plaintiff.” Under this framework, “a single racial epithet...more
8/20/2024
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
CA Supreme Court ,
California ,
FEHA ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
Internal Investigations ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Race Discrimination ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
Slurs
The Risk of Litigating Before Moving to Arbitrate - Many employers in California ask or require their employees to execute arbitration agreements. When a claim arises, the employer has a choice—proceed with litigation...more
Garcia v. Stoneledge Furniture LLC, 102 Cal. App. 5th 41 (2024) - Summary: Although parties may delegate questions regarding the validity of an arbitration agreement to the arbitrator, the delegation presupposes the existence...more
Mattioda v. Nelson, 98 F.4th 1164 (9th Cir. 2024) - Summary: Disability-based harassment claims are available under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act....more
5/10/2024
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Breach of Contract ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Transfers ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Harassment ,
Labor Code ,
Muldrow v City of St Louis ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
SCOTUS ,
Stock Options ,
Title VII ,
Wages
Summary: An employer waives its right to arbitration if it fails to pay its share of the arbitration filing fee within 30 days of the payment’s due date....more
A plaintiff maintains standing to pursue a non-individual PAGA claim in state court when his individual PAGA claim is sent to arbitration pursuant to an arbitration agreement...more
After more than three years of litigation, the Ninth Circuit has held that AB 51, California’s attempt to ban mandatory employment arbitration agreements, is unenforceable....more
Join us for our third annual all-day complimentary seminar on the most pressing employment law topics, transmitted to you in your home, office, or virtually anywhere with an internet connection. Attendees can enjoy one or all...more
9/22/2022
/ Affirmative Action ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Best Practices ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Viking River Cruises Inc v Moriana ,
Webinars
Meda v. AutoZone Inc., No. B311398, 2022 WL 2813819 (Cal. Ct. App. July 19, 2022) -
Summary: Where an employer has not expressly advised its employees that they may use a seat during their work and does not place seats at...more
In a decision employers across California have been waiting for since December (see our initial article on this issue), the United States Supreme Court held this morning in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana, that the...more
On Dec. 15, the United States Supreme Court agreed to take up what promises to be the most consequential PAGA case in nearly a decade.
In Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana, No. 20-1573, the Court will decide whether...more
Welcome to the second edition of “Case in Point,” a series of short videos in which we recap key employment cases from the past quarter and discuss what they mean for employers in California.
In this 6-minute episode, Tyler...more
Zuniga v. Alexandria Care Ctr., LLC, 67 Cal. App. 5th 871 (2021)
Summary: An expert may rely on inadmissible evidence to form an opinion if the source is reliable.
Facts: Plaintiff Rosalinda Zuniga was employed by...more
This morning, in its decision in Chamber of Commerce v. Bonta, No. 20-15291, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a January 2020 preliminary injunction against enforcement of AB 51, a 2019 California law effectively...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
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
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
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
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
On August 29, 2019, the California Supreme Court held in OTO, L.L.C. v. Kho, S244630, that a mandatory arbitration agreement may be unenforceable against employee wage claims if it requires the employee to forego the “Berman”...more
9/10/2019
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Berman Hearings ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Cal Code of Civil Procedure ,
Contract Terms ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Motion to Compel ,
Reversal ,
Unconscionable Contracts ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
This month’s key employment law cases address nonsolicitation provisions and arbitration agreements.
AMN Healthcare, Inc. v. Aya Healthcare Servs., Inc., 28 Cal. App. 5th 923, 239 Cal. Rptr. 3d 577 (2018)
Summary:...more
12/18/2018
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Business & Professions Code ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Cross-Complaints ,
Employment Contract ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Former Employee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Law Firm Partners ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Motion to Compel ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Nurses ,
Popular ,
Public Benefits ,
Reaffirmation ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Remand ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Solicitation ,
Summary Judgment ,
Travel ,
Unconscionable Contracts ,
Void Contracts ,
Wrongful Termination
On August 22, 2018, the California Senate voted to approve AB 3080, a bill prompted by the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. Nominally, the bill is intended to combat the use of mandatory arbitration agreements and...more
8/23/2018
/ #MeToo ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
FEHA ,
Governor Brown ,
Harassment ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Personal Liability ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Retaliation ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Waiver of Rights