One of the most vague and, as a result, frequently disputed and litigated claims by workers is whether they are entitled to overtime compensation or whether they are properly classified as exempt under administrative exemption as provided in Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the applicable federal regulations. This article…
Under PDA (Pregnancy Discrimination Act), it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee on the basis of pregnancy,childbirth, or related medical conditions; and women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions shall be treated the same for all employment-related purposes, including receipt of benefits under fringe…
It has been held in California that to constitute hostile work environment at workplace based on racial or other kinds of harassment, the harassing conduct must be “sufficiently severe and pervasive.” This means that generally, a single discriminatory comment or isolated incidents of slur by a co-worker cannot be actionable…
The hearing to contest the denial of your unemployment compensation benefits is very much like mini-trial. The employee and the employer find themselves sitting across from each other with or without legal representation in front of the administration law judge who will hear both sides, will allow both parties to…
Under both FEHA and ADA, employers must make reasonable accommodations to the disability of an individual unless the employer can demonstrate that doing so would impose “undue hardship.” Cal. Code. Regs. tit. 2 section 7293.9. In other words, there are limits on the restructuring that an employer needs to do.…
It is not uncommon for a California employer to justify its termination of the disabled worker and it’s failure to engage in interactive process to find reasonable accommodations as require by law under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, by arguing that because the didn’t owe the duty to engage…
On March 27, 2009, the second appellate district court of California published its decision on the tip pooling rules in the service industry which has been a subject of debate among litigants during the past several years. Etheridge v. Reins International. In that case, one of the issues was the…
California Labor Department statistics suggests that workplace retaliation claims are on the rise more than other employment related claims, such as discrimination and harassment and hostile work environment related lawsuits. This is not surprising as I believe that besides the common reasons for these violations, such as lack of knowledge…
Under the avoidable consequences doctrine, as recognized in California, a person injured by another’s wrongful conduct will not be compensated for those damages that the injured person could have avoided by reasonable effort. Thus, this doctrine gave rise to the duty to mitigate damages in employment cases – the duty…
California Civil Code sections 45 and 46 define libel and slander (written and oral statements which may constitute defamation). It has been consistently held in California over 60 years ago that libel includes, with certain limitations, almost any language, which, upon its face, has a natural tendency to injure a…