Employee Cannot Pursue PAGA Claims Against Employer After Settling Individual Claims

In one of the final judicial decisions of 2017, a California court of appeal has held that an employee who settled his individual wage and hour claims against his former employer could not continue to pursue his PAGA claims against that employer. The court therefore affirmed the trial court’s judgment dismissing the employee’s PAGA claims. Kim v. Reins International California, Inc., 2d Dist. Case No. B278642 (filed December 29, 2017). The Plaintiff, Justin Kim, sued...

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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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Business Liability for Labor Contractors

On September 28, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1897, which created a new Labor Code section. The new law affects businesses that obtain or are provided workers to perform labor from a labor contractor. Once AB 1897 becomes effective, private employers can be held liable for labor contractor’s failure to pay all required wages or to secure valid workers’ compensation coverage for contract workers. Under AB 1897, a business can be...

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