Employers love a good investigation story—prompt response, outside counsel, thorough interviews, the whole compliance greatest-hits album. But the California Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Paknad v. Superior Court is a sharp reminder that if you plan to rely on your investigation in litigation, you may end up handing over the director’s cut.
In Paknad, the employer did what many would consider best practice:
The Ninth Circuit delivered a significant win for employers involved in arbitration in O’Dell, et al. v. Aya Healthcare Services, Inc., holding that employees cannot sidestep arbitration agreements by selectively relying upon past rulings of other arbitrators in cases involving other parties to invalidate a particular arbitration agreement.
The case arose from unpaid wage claims brought by former employees of Aya Healthcare, a travel
Barely a month into 2026, and a California jury has delivered another massive verdict in an employment case, awarding $52 million to five former employees following a whistleblower retaliation trial in Los Angeles. (Williams et al. v. Sysco Riverside, Inc.)
The plaintiffs, primarily drivers and yard personnel, worked for a global foodservice distributor. They alleged that they raised concerns during their employment regarding
On October 12, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed S.B. 294, the “Workplace Know Your Rights Act” (the “Act”). In response to recent immigration enforcement actions, the Act aims to educate workers on their civil rights in the workplace.
The Act sets forth two requirements.
First, it requires California employers to provide a stand-alone written notice to new hires and current employees advising them of
The California Civil Rights Council, which promulgates regulations that implement California’s civil rights laws, has published a new set of regulations concerning artificial intelligence (“AI”) in the workplace. These new rules (available here) are set to go into effect on October 1, 2025 and amend the existing regulatory framework of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”). This latest round of regulations is continuing a trend
According to the Los Angeles Times, a retiring “prison supervising dentist” became a millionaire overnight when the state paid him $1.2 million for unused vacation benefits that he had been accruing for decades. This mammoth payout represents just a drop in the bucket considering the more than $5.6 billion in unfunded liability the state has amassed for vacation and other leave benefits owed to
The future of PAGA continues to look a bit brighter for employers as new favorable case law emerges. We previously reported on Turrieta v. Lyft, Inc. wherein the California Supreme Court ruled that PAGA plaintiffs have no standing to intervene in parallel PAGA lawsuits. We are now happy to report that another “win” for employers has come out of Second Appellate District of the Los
Unbowed and unbroken, California continues to work toward creating that Workers’ Paradise in the Sun, and this legislative session did not disappoint! Here are the latest new laws that will take effect by the first of the year:
| Law | Summary & Impact on Employers |
| AB 1815 Weber (D-San Diego) | Expansion of the CROWN Act. The Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”) already defines the |