Pursuant to California Business & Professions Code § 7031(a), an unlicensed contractor cannot file a lawsuit to collect compensation for the performance of any act or contract requiring a license, regardless of the merits of the lawsuit. California Business and Professions Code §7031(b) further requires that an unlicensed contractor be disgorged of all monies paid by their victims (more than just economic loss) and does not require the client (victim) to prove [...]

In response to a 2008 California Supreme Court decision that held a good samaritan who gave emergency assistance to an injured person at the scene of an accident liable for making the plaintiff's injuries worse, California’s legislature enacted Assembly Bill 83. Under the new law, any person who renders emergency assistance in good faith, and not for compensation, cannot be held liable for civil damages for any act, or omission.

On November 23, 2009, the California Department of Industrial Relations' Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) issued an opinion letter on whether an employer may deduct vacation and sick leave time when an exempt employee is absent for either a partial day, or an entire day. According to opinion letter number 2009.11.23, a California employer may deduct accrued vacation [...]

On January 28, 2010, the Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeal held that employers cannot by agreement limit the time period in which an employee can file a lawsuit for wage and hour issues.

In Pellegrino v. Robert Half International, Inc., six former employees sued their temporary staffing company for various Labor Code violations including the [...]

Prior to the enactment of Assembly Bill 712, California Smalls Claims Courts had jurisdiction over actions seeking certain forms of relief, including money damages up to $7,500 and in such actions the Smalls Claims Court was also permitted to grant equitable relief in the form of rescission, restitution, reformation, and specific performance in lieu of, or in addition to, money damages. Under the new law, the Small Claims Court will be prohibited from issuing injunctive relief (e.g. specific performance) unless [...]