Quiet Enjoyment for a Commercial Tenant in California

Previously on our blog, we have discussed the many differences between rights held by residential as opposed to commercial tenants. Recently we examined how both residential and commercial tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment of their rented property, but that it is sometimes more difficult for commercial tenants to escape the term of a lease for a violation of the covenant. Here, we will discuss what quiet enjoyment means for a commercial tenant. The...

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Constructive Eviction in Commercial Leases

California law provides tenants with a right of quiet enjoyment of the property they are renting. This right requires a landlord to ensure that tenants’ use and enjoyment of the property will not be disturbed. The right to quiet enjoyment is heavily protected in residential lease agreements and cannot be waived.  However, the right to quiet enjoyment may be waived in commercial lease agreements, and therefore  showing constructive eviction in commercial leases is often more...

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Negotiating a Commercial Lease

Unlike run of the mill residential leases, many terms of commercial leases are usually negotiable, although your leverage in the negotiation will be affected by your real estate knowledge and the current rental market. For example, if there is a surplus of commercial space available in your preferred area, you will likely have more leverage to negotiate terms with a prospective landlord.  Similarly, having confidence in and being informed about the terms of the...

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Supreme Court Rules for Amazon in Employee Searches Case

It is common practice for retailers to search their employees before they leave work. In a recent United States Supreme Court opinion,  Integrity Staffing Solutions v. Busk, the Court ruled that workers do not have a federal right to be paid for the time spent in these post-shift employee searches. This decision will save businesses billions of dollars, including companies like Amazon, who is projected to save over $100 million. In the opinion  the justices unanimously rejected former...

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Healthcare Laws Prevent Paying High-Cost Employees to Use Exchange

Many business are self-insured, meaning that they provide healthcare plans for their employees. However, because of the high costs associated with this practice, some companies have been paying employees with significant health issues to opt out of company medical plans and get coverage on the insurance exchange market. Recently, a number of federal agencies have said that this practice is illegal under current healthcare laws. From a business perspective, it is easy to understand why...

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What is an Indemnification Clause?

An indemnification clause is often found in contracts and is designed to protect one party from financial loss, and shift the risks and any potential loss to another party. Usually, the risk of loss is shifted to the party who is in the best position to control and prevent the risk at issue.  While an indemnification clause is a great term to have in a contract to protect parties from certain events, they can...

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California Coastal Access and Property Law

A common issue that arises in California property law surrounds public coastal access. In September 2014, a California Superior Court judge ruled in favor of coastal access advocates by holding that a property cannot block the only public access route to Martins Beach (located less than an hour outside of San Francisco, California), without permission from the Coastal Commission, and demanding the property owner to open the gate blocking access to the beach. The case,...

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Is an Oral Contract Enforceable in California?

Despite the fact that it remains the better and safer practice to put all contracts in writing, many important business and partnership agreements are still made orally.  While oral contracts are enforceable in California in many circumstances, the California Civil Code specifically requires that certain agreements be put in writing to be enforceable. Specifically, California law requires that the following contracts be in writing in order to be enforced: A contract in which performance will necessarily exceed...

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Non-Compete Clauses in Action

Previously on our blog, we discussed the enforceability of non-compete clauses. It is important to be familiar with the concept not only for contracting purposes, but also from the standpoint of being either an employer or employee. Recently, this issue has been in California state news, as it appears that large companies are trying to enforce non-compete clauses that are found in employment agreements of low-wage workers. The case at issue involved Benny Almeida, a former employee...

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Understanding what “Doing Business As” Means in California

The phrase “doing business as” or “DBA” is a legal term used to signify that the trade name, or fictitious business name, under which the business or operation is conducted and presented to the world is not the legal name of the business responsible for it. For example, a company may incorporate under the name “XYZ Inc.”  This is their legal name and where the business’ creditors can seek payment or compensation, that is,...

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