Even though the California Arbitration Act (CAA) and the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) clearly express a strong public policy favoring the enforcement of arbitration agreements, California courts have a long history of...
Employment Law Letter
Employers are often faced with claims that a termination decision was impermissibly based on the employee's protected category status or exercise of lawful rights. When the assertions are tested in litigation, the...
We all know that before filing an action alleging a violation of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), an employee must exhaust his administrative remedies by filing a verified complaint with the...
Climate change—it's an intimidating topic to try to understand. And when a problem is so massive, employers may be tempted to wait for perfect solutions to materialize before they jump into action. But employees...
Remember back when we used to go on long family road trips, driving for hours while the kids in the back seat repeatedly shout, "Are we there yet?" To them, the trip is interminable and the boredom unnecessary; they have...
Until recently, Google’s unofficial motto was “Don’t be evil.” When it restructured to become a subsidiary of Alphabet in 2015, the motto was changed to “Do the right thing”—apparently a response to accusations that some...
The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia employers) recently issued a decision involving a former employee's disability discrimination claim that...
Q Thirty months ago, we promoted an individual to a position that requires a special license and included a pay raise. He has repeatedly failed to get his license and, as a result, has never been able to perform the job...
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, was a large year-end appropriations bill containing COVID-19-related stimulus and relief provisions in several key areas, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), paid...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued an opinion letter about compensation for employee travel time—a complex issue to assess, particularly given that many workers mix business and pleasure while traveling...
Our experiences with COVID-19 have demonstrated something your grandmother probably already told you: A problem ignored is not a problem solved. While procrastination can sometimes be a good thing (e.g., brussels sprouts...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently answered frequently asked questions about employee training. Chiefly, when is the time compensable? Information contained in the DOL’s November 3 opinion letter is particularly...
With winter here, many areas are seeing snow. Businesses are scrambling to clear their parking lots to ensure the safety of their customers and employees. While businesses fear the potential liability attached to a slip...
COVID-19 has forced millions of workers to substitute a cubicle and their morning commute for a kitchen table, spotty Wi-Fi, and endless hours in their home. As thought leaders speculate about whether the transition to...
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) became federal law on April 1, 2020. It was the first federal legislation mandating nationwide paid leave for employees. Unlike many other federal employment laws, the...