As we have previously reported here and here, “nuclear” verdicts from California juries in employment discrimination and harassment cases have become increasingly common over the past few years. Although these massive verdicts garner a lot of attention, they are only part of the story after the verdict comes in.
For many successful plaintiffs, the journey to collect these awards is fraught with numerous delays
A California jury did it again! Last Thursday, a Los Angeles jury awarded $27.5 million to a former chief nursing officer of a hospital for the alleged post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological problems she suffered after being constructively discharged from her job. The nurse claimed she had been called to assist in an emergency at the hospital’s parking structure after a woman jumped from
Remember when the workday ended at 5:00 pm?
In today’s always-on world, the “infinite workday” has quietly taken over—creeping into dinners, weekends, and even that quaint concept known as a “vacation.” With smartphones in every pocket and teams spread across multiple time zones, work now follows us everywhere. Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index confirms what many leaders already sense: work is no longer confined by
On May 19, 2025, Proskauer attorneys successfully compelled to arbitration an employment discrimination lawsuit that had been filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. While the former employee claimed that she never signed the arbitration agreement because she lacked access to her work email while on medical leave, the defendants established with emails showing that the employee actually did “access the . . . platform”
Williams v. Alacrity Solutions Grp., LLC, 110 Cal. App. 5th 932 (2025)
Corbin Williams sued his former employer (Alacrity Solutions Group, LLC) for various wage and hour violations. However, Williams failed to provide written notice of his claims to the state Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) until more than a year had passed since the end of his employment with Alacrity, thus barring any
Bradsbery v. Vicar Operating, Inc., 110 Cal. App. 5th 899 (2025)
La Kimba Bradsbery and Cheri Brakensiek sued their former employer (Vicar Operating, Inc.) in a putative class action, alleging that Vicar had failed to provide them with meal periods for shifts between five and six hours. Vicar responded that plaintiffs had prospectively waived in writing all waivable meal periods throughout their employment with Vicar.
Tesla Motors, Inc. v. Balan, 134 F.4th 558 (9th Cir. 2025)
Tesla Motors and Elon Musk prevailed in an arbitration proceeding against a former employee based on California’s one-year statute of limitations. Tesla and Musk subsequently petitioned the United States District Court for the Northern District of California to confirm the arbitration award in their favor. The district court granted the petition to confirm, but
Hofer v. Boladian, 2025 WL 1354795 (Cal. Ct. App. 2025)
Plaintiffs in this case initiated litigation against defendants, notwithstanding the existence of binding arbitration agreements between the parties. For six months following the filing of the litigation, plaintiffs sought two forms of preliminary injunctive relief, opposed a demurrer, propounded more than 700 discovery requests, demanded a jury trial in their case management conference statement, represented
Nazaryan v. FemtoMetrix, Inc., 2025 WL 1177060 (Cal. Ct. App. 2025)
Hovik Nazaryan sued his former employer and several of its officers and a member of the board of directors after the parties settled a prior dispute between them and the defendants agreed to classify the settlement proceeds as “Founder’s Stock” and not “compensation, salary or income for [Nazaryan’s] services to FemtoMetrix.” The defendants subsequently