Sehreen Ladak
Sehreen represents employers from a variety of industries in all aspects of employment litigation, including wage and hour, wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower, and breach of contract litigation, in both the single-plaintiff and class-action context. She also counsels clients in a wide range of labor and employment matters, including wage and hour issues, personnel policies and procedures, and employee discipline matters.
Sehreen earned her J.D. from USC Gould School of Law, where she was the Executive Submissions Editor of the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice. During law school, she was also a student supervisor at the USC Immigration Clinic, and she served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Kathleen Mulligan in the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission.
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California is considering a new law (Assembly Bill 331), also known as the Automated Decision Systems Accountability Act. Modeled after the Biden Administration’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights (whitehouse.gov), AB 331 would control the use of machine-based systems in making “consequential” employment decisions such as compensation, promotions, hiring, termination, and automated task allocations. … Continue Reading
Last summer, we reported here the California Supreme Court ruling that premium payments owed under Labor Code section 226.7 for meal and rest break violations constitute “wages.” The Naranjo et al. v. Spectrum Sec. Servs., Inc., 13 Cal. 5th 93, 102 (2022) decision had significant ramifications because it triggered related obligations for employers to report … Continue Reading
A decade ago, a California Court of Appeal held that employers lawfully could round employees’ time punches if the rounding policy was neutral on its face and as applied. See See’s Candy Shops, Inc. v. Super. Ct., 210 Cal. App. 4th 889 (2012). In arriving at this conclusion, the See’s Court relied on regulations under … Continue Reading
It just wouldn’t be Fall without the passage of a flurry of new laws, shaking up the employment landscape in California. As of the close of the legislative session on August 31, several “job killer” bills (so called by the California Chamber of Commerce as reported here and here) passed the state legislature and are … Continue Reading
Amid a recent surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates in Los Angeles, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (“AMPTP”) announced an extension of and modifications to the existing Return-to-Work Agreement between the Directors Guild of America, the AMPTP, IATSE, SAG-AFTRA, and other industry stakeholders. The prior iteration of the Agreement had been … Continue Reading
As we reported here, earlier this year, the California Supreme Court confirmed a relaxed standard by which employees can prove whistleblower retaliation under Labor Code section 1102.5 in Lawson v. PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc., 12 Cal. 5th 703 (2022). Despite the newly affirmed and extremely high burden for employers to prevail against Section 1102.5 claims … Continue Reading
Pablo Neruda once said “you can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.” Likewise, California businesses’ protests against oppressive employment legislation don’t seem to stem the tide of the Legislature’s latest batch of anti-employer bills. The California Chamber of Commerce has just identified a host of recently introduced “Job Killer” Bills … Continue Reading
In recent years, countries such as Iceland and Belgium and some domestic companies have experimented with the concept of four-day workweeks. Now, a new bill proposed by California Assemblymembers Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) and Evan Low (D-San Jose), Assembly Bill 2932 (“AB 2932”), proposes to make a four-day workweek the new normal in California for … Continue Reading
Despite California’s general hostility towards post-termination restrictive covenants, the California Court of Appeal, in a recently published opinion, Blue Mountain Enters., LLC v. Owen, 74 Cal.App.5th 537 (1st Dist. Jan. 10, 2022), affirmed that a post-termination customer non-solicitation agreement was enforceable under California Business & Professions Code § 16601. Under most circumstances, contractual provisions that … Continue Reading
The California Court of Appeal has definitively resolved an issue that was until now somewhat ambiguous: Can volunteers in fact volunteer their time for nonprofit organizations without receiving pay or other forms of compensation? The answer is YES. Woods v. American Film Institute, Case No. B307220 (Cal. Ct. App. Dec. 17, 2021). Laurie Woods worked … Continue Reading
As the 2021 legislative season came to a close, Governor Gavin Newsom signed numerous bills into law. From arbitration to workplace safety, these laws will impact employers across the state. We have summarized the most important ones for you here: Arbitration Arbitration fees will now need to be paid upon receipt of invoice unless the … Continue Reading
AI is Here and So Are the New AI Rules for Employers
By Tony Oncidi and Sehreen Ladak on Posted in Age discrimination, Biden Administration Coverage, California Labor & Employment Law, Computer and Internet Use, Discrimination, Employment Applications, Employment Policies, FEHA, Gender discrimination, Hiring, New and Proposed Laws and Legislation, Pay equity, Reasonable Accommodation, Reporting Requirements, Retaliation
Good News for Employers: Good Faith Belief of Compliance Precludes Both Final Wage and Wage Statement Penalties
California Court of Appeal Dismantles Rounding Where Accurate Timekeeping Records Exist
California Employment Laws Passed and Pending
Hollywood Updates Its COVID-19 Protocols As Los Angeles Covid Rates Surge
By Kate Gold and Sehreen Ladak on Posted in Coronavirus, COVID-19, Entertainment Industry, News
Despite Employee-Friendly Test, California Court of Appeal Finds in Favor of Employer in Whistleblower Retaliation Claim
Spring Showers Bring Job Killer Bills to California
By Sehreen Ladak and Philippe A. Lebel on Posted in Attorney's Fees, California Labor & Employment Law, California Labor Code, Class Actions, Disability, Discrimination, Drug Policies, Drug Testing, Employment Policies, FEHA, New and Proposed Laws and Legislation, Payroll, Reasonable Accommodation, Reporting Requirements, Retaliation, Wage and Hour, Workers Compensation
Gone Surfing: Could California Be the First State to Adopt a Four-Day Workweek?
California Court of Appeal Publishes Opinion Upholding Customer Non-Solicitation Covenant
Volunteers May Work For Nonprofits Without Compensation
By Tony Oncidi and Sehreen Ladak on Posted in California Labor & Employment Law, Class Actions, Entertainment Industry
Governor Newsom Signs A Slew of New Employment Laws for 2022
By Tony Oncidi, Kate Gold, Philippe A. Lebel, Nayirie K. Mehdikhani, Sehreen Ladak and Ariel Brotman on Posted in ABC Test, Arbitration Agreements, Attorney's Fees, California Labor & Employment Law, California Labor Code, Collective Bargaining, COVID-19, Discrimination, FEHA, Independent Contractors, Leaves of Absence, New and Proposed Laws and Legislation, Release Agreements, Retaliation, Unfair Competition, Wage and Hour
