California’s Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) deputizes any employee who has experienced a violation of virtually any state employment law to sue to recover penalties arising out of violations he or she experienced – plus penalties arising out of violations committed against every one of his or her coworkers, and attorneys’ fees. The potentially massive… Read More
Posts Tagged With: PAGA
California’s Supreme Court Erases Viking River’s PAGA Victory for Employers
The California Supreme Court recently issued its highly anticipated decision in Adolph v. Uber and answered the key question of whether the California courts would follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Viking River. The California Supreme Court’s answer was a resounding “NO.” Now, after Adolph v. Uber, an employee whose individual PAGA claims are… Read More
Employees Now Can Sue Under PAGA for Paid Sick Leave Violations
California’s Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (known as the “Paid Sick Leave Law” or “PSLL”) requires employers to provide employees, with a few narrow exceptions, three days of paid sick leave each year. The PSLL does not give employees a private right of action, meaning that employees can’t sue their employers directly under the PSLL. … Read More
California Courts are Refusing to Follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s Viking River Decision
California Courts are Refusing to Follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s Viking River Decision, which means that U.S. Supreme Court decision may not offer employers a clever PAGA escape hatch after all.
U.S. Supreme Court Delivers Bombshell PAGA Ruling in Favor of Employers
On June 15, 2022, in a blockbuster case known as Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana, the U.S. Supreme Court finally answered a burning employment law issue here in California – whether California’s rule prohibiting the use of arbitration agreements to force an employee to waive her right to bring a representative action under PAGA… Read More
Coming Right Up! New Wage and Hour Laws Effective January 1, 2022
California’s 2021 legislative session has ended, and with it came a number of new wage and hour laws going into effect on January 1, 2022. Each of these latest Assembly Bills (“AB”) and Senate Bills (“SB”) impact employers in various industries. California employers should review and plan to implement whatever changes apply to their businesses… Read More
Court of Appeals Confirms That Arbitration Agreements Won’t Protect Employers from PAGA Litigation
California’s Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) authorizes aggrieved employees to file lawsuits to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the State of California for violations of the California Labor Code. Lawsuits brought under PAGA have resulted in employers paying millions of dollars in penalties that the state almost certainly would not have… Read More
The Skies Just Got Friendlier for Employers
On June 29, 2020, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of employers in a trio of cases involving flight attendants and pilots who brought various wage and hour claims (both individual and PAGA) against their respective airline employers for non-compliant wage statements and other violations of California’s Labor Code. Each of the cases was… Read More
CA Supreme Court Rules that PAGA Claims Survive Even if Underlying Claims are Settled
California employment law is notoriously volatile. The ever-changing landscape – especially as related to Labor Code violations and cases brought under California’s wide-ranging Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”), which authorizes representative actions for Labor Code violations – can make it challenging for employers to find certainty in how they plan for potential claims and address… Read More
Employees Can Now Seek Civil Penalties For Late Wages
Starting January 1, 2020, California employees will be able to seek penalties from their employers directly for late payment of wages. If you are wondering thinking employees were already able to do that, you are partially right. On October 10, 2019, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 673 (“AB 673”), which amends California Labor Code § 210… Read More
