Il Fornaio, a California-based Italian restaurant chain, will pay $3,000,000 to settle a federal lawsuit. The EEOC alleged that supervisors and employees sexually harassed female workers, many of them teenagers. It also alleged that the company retaliated against women who complained. California law prohibits sexual harassment at work, including...
The EEOC recently alleged that an American Airlines reservations representative in Fort Worth, who developed cortical blindness, was denied the essential tools she needed to perform her job. She requested screen reader software—a standard, inexpensive technology that converts text to speech—and, alternatively, a transfer to a vacant position. According...
Cortina v. North American Title Co. (2026) — Cal.App.5th —, F085389 Key Takeaway: A California appeals court erased a $75 million judgment won by roughly 400 escrow workers who proved they were misclassified as exempt and denied overtime pay. The reversal turned on procedural errors and a flawed trial...
Doss v. Tesla, Inc. (2026) — Cal.App.5th —, A173210 Key Takeaway: The First District Court of Appeal held that Tesla’s yard hostlers — workers who move 53-foot trailers containing auto parts around Tesla’s Fremont factory grounds — are transportation workers engaged in interstate commerce under Section 1 of the...
Key Takeaway The First District Court of Appeal ruled that a furniture delivery driver who carried goods from a distribution center to retail customers counts as a transportation worker, which means his contract is exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act under Section 1. That held true even though his...
Taduran v. James R. Glidewell, Dental Ceramics, Inc. (2026) — Cal.App.5th —, G064718 Key Takeaway: The Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court’s award of $516,965 in PAGA civil penalties and $733,440 in attorney fees in a case involving overtime, rest period, and wage statement violations. The...
A nursing program director sexually harassed a student in his clinical program, retaliated when she rejected him, and forced her out of the program. Then the school argued in court that she had no right to sue because she was a student, not an employee. A California appellate court...
You walk into work expecting another routine day. Instead, your employer hands you a termination notice. The explanation feels thin, and the timing is suspicious. You may be an “at-will” employee, but you start to wonder whether your firing crossed the line into illegality. For many California employees, this...
An unexpected dismissal rarely comes with an explanation that feels fair. As a result, many employees are often left wondering: Was my termination legal, or was it wrongful? California wrongful termination law answers that question by setting clear limits on when an employer can and cannot end your employment....
You report harassment. Suddenly, your schedule changes, your workload doubles, and your manager’s tone hardens. Weeks later, your employer writes you up for the first time in years. This is what retaliation in the workplace looks like: punishment tied not to performance, but to the courage it takes to...