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
Summary: Employers have a duty to investigate the accuracy of any criminal conviction report prior to terminating an employee on the basis of such information where there is evidence that the report may be incorrect. ...more
11/13/2020
/ Absenteeism ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Judgment As A Matter Of Law ,
Labor Code ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wrongful Termination
Under California law, employers must pay their employees overtime rates unless an exemption applies. One such exemption, the “administrative” exemption, excludes from state overtime requirements an employee primarily engaged...more
Sanchez v. Martinez, No. C083268, 2020 WL 5494239 (Cal. Ct. App. Sept. 11, 2020) -
Summary: Piece-rate employees who are provided with unpaid rest breaks are entitled to damages in the amount of the minimum wage for actual...more
10/14/2020
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Damages ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Judicial Review ,
Piece-Rate Pay ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
A growing number of state and local governments across the country are enacting laws that limit employers’ ability to ask about or consider applicants’ salary history. These laws are part of a nationwide effort to reduce pay...more
2/20/2020
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay Act ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Local Ordinance ,
Pay Discrimination ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Preemption ,
Race Discrimination ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Split of Authority ,
State and Local Government ,
State Bans ,
State Labor Laws
Ridgeway v. Wal-Mart, Inc., 946 F.3d 1066 (9th Cir. 2020) -
The employer must pay minimum wages to employees for time spent on mandated layovers where the employer’s policy imposes constraints on employees’ movements...more
2/12/2020
/ Administrative Complaints ,
Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Truck Drivers ,
Concurrent Litigation ,
DFEH ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equitable Tolling ,
Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA) ,
FEHA ,
Jury Trial ,
Medical Leave ,
Minimum Wage ,
Police ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Preemption ,
Reaffirmation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Reversal ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Summary Judgment ,
Traveling Employee ,
Wal-Mart ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
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
Ever since the California Supreme Court issued its groundbreaking decision in Dynamex Operations W., Inc. v. Superior Ct., 4 Cal. 5th 903 (2018), we have been monitoring its application by the lower courts. On October 8,...more
10/16/2019
/ Appeals ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Dynamex ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Independent Contractors ,
IWC ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Retroactive Application ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders
This month's key California employment law cases involve payment of wages, workplace conditions, public employment issues, and civil procedure....more
9/4/2019
/ Anti-SLAPP ,
Appeals ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Class Action ,
Collective Bargaining ,
De Minimus Doctrine ,
Defamation ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Exit Inspections ,
FEHA ,
Free Speech ,
Genuine Issue of Material Fact ,
Minimum Wage ,
Mixed Motive Cases ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
Nike ,
Non-Union ,
Off-The-Clock ,
Partial Reversal ,
Protected Activity ,
Public Sector Unions ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reimbursements ,
Remand ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
State Labor Laws ,
Stays ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Attire ,
Workplace Safety ,
Wrongful Termination
On February 4, 2019, a divided panel of the California Court of Appeal held in Ward v. Tilly’s, Inc., No. B280151, that employees scheduled for “on-call” or “call-in” shifts may be entitled to reporting time pay, even when...more
2/11/2019
/ Appeals ,
Call-In Pay ,
Class Action ,
Demurrers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
IWC ,
Mercantile Industry ,
On-Call Employees ,
Reversal ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders
In Troester v. Starbucks Corporation, the California Supreme Court recently held that the federal de minimis doctrine does not apply to claims for unpaid wages under the California Labor Code. As a follow-up to our recent...more
10/19/2018
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Commuting ,
Corporate Counsel ,
De Minimis Claims ,
De Minimus Doctrine ,
Email ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Off-The-Clock ,
Preemption ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Rounding ,
Starbucks ,
State Labor Laws ,
Text Messages ,
Timekeeping ,
Unions ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
On September 30, 2018, for the final time during his tenure as Governor, Governor Jerry Brown acted on a series of bills passed by the legislature that would have far-reaching consequences for employers. Though employers can...more
10/2/2018
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Board of Directors ,
DFEH ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
FEHA ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Governor Brown ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Harassment ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Severance Agreements ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Bans ,
State Labor Laws ,
Void and Unenforceable ,
Woman Board Members
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
On July 26, 2018, in a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court in Troester v. Starbucks Corporation held that the federal "de minimis doctrine" does not apply to claims for unpaid wages under the California Labor...more
7/27/2018
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Appeals ,
CA Supreme Court ,
De Minimis Claims ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Starbucks ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour