DATELINE: California—where apparently $100 million verdicts are becoming so common that they barely qualify as news anymore.
As we have previously reported, California juries continue to hand down “nuclear” and even “thermonuclear” employment verdicts at an alarming rate. The latest addition to that growing list comes from San Diego, where a jury awarded a former substance abuse counselor $105 million after
Across the Atlantic, Italy is redefining what counts as a legitimate reason to step away from work. Recent developments in Italian law allow employees to take paid leave to care for sick pets, up to three days per year, with appropriate microchipping and veterinary certification.
This shift builds on an earlier Italian judicial decision recognizing that failing to care for a suffering animal could violate
Effective July 1, 2026, the minimum wage rate for the Los Angeles metropolitan area will increase to $18.42. Los Angeles employers are accustomed to minimum wage increases based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which is published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This year, the hourly minimum wage rate will increase
Proskauer secured a victory for our client on a motion to compel arbitration in a sex discrimination action filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The plaintiff alleged sex-based discrimination and harassment; retaliation; failure to prevent harassment, discrimination, and retaliation; constructive termination; and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Although the plaintiff had executed an arbitration agreement before beginning employment, she argued the agreement was “unconscionable”
As 2025 winds down, many employers are focused on year-end reviews, budget planning, and compliance checklists for the year ahead. But before turning the page on another year in California employment law, two recent jury verdicts serve as a sobering reminder of the continuing trend of nuclear verdicts as we have previously reported here, here, here, and here. Consider this your
A California court recently threw the book at some lawyers for relying on artificial intelligence (“AI”) to generate what turned out to be fabricated citations and misstated authorities—that is, so-called “AI hallucinations.”
In Noland v. Land of the Free, L.P., a leasing agent/sales representative alleged no fewer than 25 claims, including violations of California’s wage and hour laws and wrongful termination. The trial court
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
