As we reported here, California’s Senate Bill (S.B.) 399, took effect on January 1, 2025. This law prohibits employers from requiring employees to attend meetings about the company’s opinions on political or religious matters, including discussions about unionization. California joins almost a dozen other states, including Illinois, New York, and Oregon, in enacting union-backed statutes that prohibit so-called “captive audience” meetings.
The Teamsters
In yet another attempt to avoid arbitration agreements, plaintiffs’ lawyers in the wake of the blockbuster court decisions in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana and Adolph v. Uber Technologies, Inc. began filing so-called “headless” claims for civil penalties under the Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”). In such cases, the plaintiff seeks civil penalties for all allegedly aggrieved employees except themself. Thus, these
The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has released updated guidance clarifying how the state’s latest statutory enactments will impact employers’ paid sick leave obligations. Specifically, as we reported here, Assembly Bill (AB) 2499 and Senate Bill (SB) 1105 expand the permissible reasons for which employees can use paid sick leave.
The updated FAQs now explain that, in addition to existing uses of paid
We invite you to review our newly-posted November 2024 California Employment Law Notes, a comprehensive review of the latest and most significant developments in California employment law. The highlights include:
Mooney v. Fife, 118 F.4th 1081 (9th Cir. 2024)
Thomas Mooney was the chief operating officer of Vivida Dermatology before his employment was terminated for an alleged violation of a confidentiality provision in his employment agreement. Following his termination, Mooney sued his former employer for retaliation under the False Claims Act (FCA), breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good
North Am. Title Co. v. Superior Court, 17 Cal. 5th 155 (2024)
Pursuant to Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 170.3, a party that seeks to disqualify a trial court judge by filing a verified statement of disqualification must do so “at the earliest practicable opportunity after discovery of the facts constituting the ground for disqualification.” The statute also provides that there shall be
Rodriguez v. Lawrence Eqpt., Inc., 2024 WL 4719479 (Cal. Ct. App. 2024)
Julian Rodriguez sued his former employer, Lawrence Equipment, Inc., for various wage and hour violations under the Labor Code and sought civil penalties and wages pursuant to the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Enforcing the arbitration agreement Rodriguez had signed, the trial court ordered arbitration of the wage and hour claims and
Nebraska v. Su,121 F.4th 1 (9th Cir. 2024)
Five states challenged President Biden’s 2021 Executive Order 14026, which directed federal agencies to include a clause in federal contracts requiring contractors to pay employees a $15 minimum wage. The states argued that the executive order and the implementing rule issued by the Department of Labor violate the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act
Osborne v. Pleasanton Auto. Co., 106 Cal. App. 5th 361 (2024)
Eva Osborne sued her former employer (Pleasanton Automotive) and its executive general manager (the ironically named Bob Slap) for discrimination, retaliation, harassment and wage and hour violations arising during the four years while Osborne worked as Slap’s executive assistant. Two years into the litigation, Slap filed a cross-complaint against Osborne, asserting that statements
Wawrzenski v. United Airlines, Inc., 2024 WL 4750558 (Cal. Ct. App. 2024)
Alexa Wawrzenski was fired from her position as a United Airlines flight attendant for having a social media account featuring pictures of herself in uniform and wearing a bikini, with a link to an OnlyFans subscription-based account that she advertised as providing “exclusive private content you won’t see anywhere else.” Wawrzenski sued