In December 2019, the California Superior Court certified a class action brought on behalf of more than 200 workers employed by Helix Electric, Inc. on the Stockton Prison Project, a public works project. The workers allege that Helix engaged in unlawful business practices by failing to pay for all hours […]
An article in this week’s New York Times summarizes the issues raised in an ongoing lawsuit against MetLife and two of its subsidiaries. The case involves a defunct real estate fund, Diversified Lending Group, run by Bruce Friedman, that offered a high guaranteed rate of return to its investors. The […]
In mid-September Volkswagen shocked the world by acknowledging that defeat devices were used in as many as 11 million of its diesel vehicles worldwide. These devices enabled the vehicles to deceive regulators by passing emission tests even though under regular road conditions the vehicles exceed standards for nitrogen oxide emissions […]
An AutoZone worker was recently awarded $185 million by a San Diego jury. The jury found that the worker was demoted after becoming pregnant, and then fired after filing a lawsuit challenging the demotion. The award included $872,000 in compensatory damages and $185 million in punitive damages. AutoZone is expected […]
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently upheld a 2007 lower court decision against Wal-Mart in a class action case involving non-payment for missed meal and rest breaks. Workers also claimed that the company failed to pay them for all hours worked. The ruling affects about 187,000 employees working in Pennsylvania between […]
Recently the Wall Street Journal featured three articles related to Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) and valuation practices that put employees’ retirement funds at risk. These articles discuss increased scrutiny by the federal government to ensure that employees are not cheated in their ESOP retirement funds. They also describe the […]
The California Supreme Court issued its long awaited ruling today in Iskanian v. CLS Transportation holding its prior ruling in Gentry v. Superior Court (2007) 42 Cal.4th 443 (Gentry) has been abrogated by recent United States Supreme Court precedent and that class action waivers in employment arbitration agreements are valid […]
Employment cases routinely proceed as class actions. Plaintiffs and their attorneys seek to represent large numbers of employees to correct common legal wrongs and to obtain common fund damages. Employers and their counsel reflexively contest class certification or seek to decertify class action cases after certification is granted. But decertification […]
This week, as we consider the many things we are thankful for, consider the service and sacrifice by members of our community who are called to be jurors in our civil justice system. Our system only functions with the willingness of the citizen-juror to sit and listen to facts and render impartial judgment. Without the willing juror, the system does not work.
