Previously on the blog, we discussed what constitutes unfair competition in California. In this article, we will share a few examples of recent unfair competition lawsuits involving California businesses. As a refresher, California Business and Professions Code Section 17200 prohibits “unfair competition,” which includes any unlawful, unfair or fraudulent business act or practice. It also includes any unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising, as well as any other act prohibited by the Business and Professions Code. A  violation under this code section...

Selling partnership shares often involves various considerations.  In most partnerships, partners can choose to sell their share of the partnership to the partnership or a new potential partner as part of the resolution of a partnership dispute or simply because the individual or entity no longer desires to be part of the partnership. Selling partnership shares will be governed by a partnership agreement, or if there is no partnership agreement, state law will govern sale of...

Parties often wait until a dispute arises to exercise or learn about their rights.  However, it is often more prudent to know and exercise rights before a dispute arises.  The main shareholder or partnership rights include limited “economic” rights, voting rights, inspection rights, the right to bring a derivative action, and, in certain circumstances, the right to start the dissolution process. Business entities can dissolve or cancel their businesses at almost any time. In particular, California...

“Economic” Shareholder Rights Shareholders invest in corporations primarily for economic gain or profit.  The two main ways shareholders can profit from a corporation are by receiving distributions of the company’s profits and by selling all or part of their interest in the corporation. These correspond with the two main “economic” shareholder rights: the right to receive dividends and the right to sell shares. Notably, shareholders only have the right to receive dividends as they are declared...

California prohibits unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices, as well as unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising. Recently, the district attorney offices for Los Angeles and San Francisco claimed that Uber, one of the the most popular ridesharing companies, violated these California business laws in recently filed actions against the company. Uber (recently valued at $41 Billion and has backers from Wall Street to Silicon Valley), is no stranger to lawsuits, which are coming from all...

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...

Specific performance is a type of remedy available in some contract disputes where a plaintiff requests that a court enforce the contract in question and force the defendant to perform the agreed upon terms instead of or in addition to paying the plaintiff money damages. It is most commonly used when there is a dispute over the purchase and sale of real estate. Specific performance is an important remedy because real estate projects often involve...

When a contract contains a binding arbitration agreement, the parties to the contract are generally agreeing to waive their right to go to court when they want to litigate issues that arise under the contract. When the parties arbitrate a claim it  is submitted to an arbitrator who will have the power to make an enforceable decision in the case. An arbitration agreement is enforceable as long as it is not “unconscionable,” meaning it...

There are many reasons to invest in a business, such as joining a new startup, or becoming part of an established and successful business poised for more growth.  Sometimes these new or established companies just need a little additional working capital to be successful.  Before committing, however, it is important to approach the opportunity with objectivity, weigh all investment considerations, and understand the risks and goals associated with the potential investment. First, assess whether your...