Two recent California appellate court decisions, Bright v. 99¢ Only Stores, 189 Cal. App. 4th 1472 (November 12, 2010) and Harris v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., 191 Cal. App. 4th 210 (December 22, 2010), both held that California retail employers who fail to provide their employees with reasonable seating as required by California's Wage Order No. 7 may be sued for civil penalties up to $200 per employee, per pay period, plus attorneys fees and costs under California's Labor Code Private Attorney General Act of 2004 [...]

In Holmes v. Petrovich Development Co., LLC, No. C059133 (Cal. Ct. App. Jan. 13, 2011), the California Court of Appeals held that an employee's email messages to her attorney sent using the employer's computer and through the employer's network were not protected by the attorney-client privilege (could be used against the employee at trial) because the [...]

Has a retailer recently asked you to give them your zip code? If so, they may have broken the law.

The Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971, set forth in California Civil Code § 1747 et seq., was designed to protect consumers. As part of that protection, California Civil Code §1747.08(a) prohibits businesses from requesting and recording a customer's [...]

Pursuant to the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is implementing a new program starting February 28, 2011 to enable small business to refinance existing owner-occupied commercial real estate mortgages through its 504 loan program. Previously the 504 Loan Program was only available for new development, construction and expansion. For a limited time (February 28, 2011 thru September 27, 2012) it can now be used to refinance an existing owner-occupied commercial [...]

For the first time, self-employed individuals will be able to deduct the cost of their health insurance premiums when computing the amount owed in self-employment tax.

In the past, small business owners were not allowed to deduct the cost of health insurance when calculating self-employment tax. Under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, and subject to specific statutory restrictions (i.e. deduction is not available [...]