9/14/22
On Labor Day, California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, signed Assembly Bill 257, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (“the Act” or “FAST Recovery Act”) into law. The FAST Recovery Act aims to protect and give California …
Tag: California
9/1/22
By: Julia Bover
On August 24, 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the first-ever enforcement action under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) against cosmetics retail chain Sephora.
The CCPA was signed into law in 2018 and went into …
8/29/22
On June 15, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its highly anticipated decision in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana, 596 U.S. ___, 142 S.Ct. 1906 (2022), pertaining to the arbitrability of representative …
California Court of Appeal rules in favor of policyholder in COVID business interruption case
8/25/22
By: Shawn Bingham and Amanda Figueroa
Recently, the California Court of Appeals, Second District, became only the second appellate court in the country—state or federal—to rule favor of a policyholder on a Covid-19 business interruption claim by holding that the …
California Tort Law: Brown v. Taekwondo U.S.A. and the “no duty to aid” rule
6/16/22
Does a bystander have an obligation to come to the aid of another under California law? Under most circumstances, the answer is “no.” A year ago, almost to the day, the California Supreme Court clarified the …
Five things California lawyers have to report to the State Bar
4/5/22
California lawyers have certain reporting obligations to the State Bar. These obligations are mandatory. The reporting must occur within 30 days of the event. Failing to report can lead to discipline, jeopardizing the lawyer’s law license. …
Another Step Toward Limiting Forced Arbitration: House Passes the FAIR Act
3/22/22
By: Margot Parker
Following President Biden’s recent signing of a bill ending mandatory arbitration of sexual assault and harassment claims accruing on or after March 2, 2022, the U.S. House approved the FAIR Act (Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal) on March …
California implements new 2022 COVID-19 supplemental Paid Sick Leave Law
3/2/22
By: Mandy D. Hexom
On February 9, 2022, California’s Governor signed Senate Bill 114 into law requiring employers with 26 or more employees (and some public entities) to provide up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave for certain …
A Quick Summary of the Ethics Rules on Discrimination for California Lawyers
4/20/21
By: Greg Fayard
For decades, the California State Bar had an anti-discrimination ethics rule applicable to lawyers. That rule prevented lawyers from unlawfully discriminating in hiring, promoting, firing, or accepting or not accepting cases based on certain protected characteristics—the big …
SCOTUS Grants Injunctive Relief In Free Exercise Case Challenging California’s COVID-19 Restrictions
4/14/21
Building on its pandemic-era Free Exercise Clause decisions, SCOTUS rejected the Ninth Circuit’s analysis of California’s COVID restrictions on religious activities for the fifth time on Friday (4/9/21). In a 5-4 vote in Tandon, et al. v. …
Are Non-Refundable Lawyer Retainers Legal in California?
1/26/21
By: Greg Fayard
Joe wants to hire Bill, a California lawyer, to defend a breach of contract case. Bill agrees to defend Joe but will only take a $10,000 non-refundable retainer. Is this legal? No.
Under Rule 1.5(d) of the …
New COVID-19 Notice Requirements for California Employers
1/12/21
By: Chelsea Whelan
The new year ushers in new rules for California employers receiving notice of potential COVID-19 exposure in the workplace. California Labor Code section 6409.6 became effective January 1 this year following the passage of Assembly Bill 685 and …