Monthly Archives: October 2023
What Employers Should Know About Mediation for Employment Disputes in California
Employers can benefit from strong relationships with their employees. In some cases, the best option for resolving a dispute with an employee may be a non-adversarial approach. Mediation could be the best path forward. In this article, our California workplace solution lawyer highlights the most important things employers in California should know about mediation…. Read More »
An Overview of Senate Bill 699 (California’s Expanded Ban On Non-Compete Agreements)
On September 1, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 699 (SB 699) into law. The legislation strengthens California’s already comprehensive restrictions on non-compete agreements. Most notably, the law strengthens an employee’s private right of action—allowing them to sue for additional damages if an employer has them sign and/or tries to enforce an… Read More »
California Court Rules in Favor of Employer in Wrongful Termination Cases, Found Firing Based on Misconduct, Not Religious Discrimination
Recently, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals released an opinion in favor of a California employer in a wrongful termination claim (Hittle v. City of Stockton). The federal appellate court determined that the City of Stockton’s termination of a fire chief did not constitute unlawful religious discrimination. In this article, our California employment attorney… Read More »
New California Law Creates Presumption of Retaliation for Wage and Hour Violations (90 Days)
On October 9, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill SB 497, the Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Act. This Act creates a rebuttable presumption of unlawful retaliation, i.e., that the employer retaliated against employees who engaged in certain legally protected activities. The presumption would apply for 90 days after the protected activity,… Read More »
Proposed Bill Seeks to Regulate Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) By Employers in California
Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise. A number of different major tech companies have recently rolled out AI-related tools and services. The use of AI raises a number of different concerns. In April, a group of legislators in California introduced Assembly Bill 331 (AB 331)—a first-of-its-kind proposal to regulate the business use of… Read More »
