This time of year, many companies consider summer interns. It’s a great opportunity for everyone. The student gets experience and you get free workers, right? Not so fast. Although forty-seven percent of students who graduated college in 2012 worked as an intern – for free –those interns come with considerable risk.
Companies such as Fox Searchlight and Hearst Corporation are still entangled in litigation brought by unpaid interns who worked for the company free of charge…
By: Sam G. Sherman, Esq.
The California Supreme Court decided Brinker Restaurant Corp. v. Sup. Ct. today. Of course, employers throughout the state have been watching this case closely and waiting to see whether the Supreme Court would require employers to "ensure" employees take meal breaks, or merely "provide" employees with those breaks.
Ultimately, the Court decided the following:
Employers are obligated to afford hourly employees meal and rest periods and to relieve employees of all duties during those…
By: Sam G. Sherman, Esq.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided Kairy v. Super Shuttle International yesterday. At issue was whether a plaintiff could sue in state or federal court alleging independent contractor misclassification or whether the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has exclusive jurisdiction over employee classification.
SuperShuttle Internation provides shared-ride airport shuttle service. In California, SuperShuttle is considered a PSC subject to PUC regulations. Prior to 2001, SuperShuttle classified its drivers as employees. SuperShuttle then…
By: Sam G. Sherman, Esq.
The California Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will hear oral argument in Brinker v. Superior Court. Oral argument is scheduled for November 8, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. in San Francisco. The Court generally has only 90 days from oral argument to issue its decision.
Brinker has been watched closely by employers (and plaintiff's counsel) across the state. At issue is whether an employer must merely provide its employees with meal…
By Alexis Gutierrez
Wage/Hour Class Action Decision applying federal procedural law and NV state law.
Take-Away: Defendant employer could not “pick off” representative plaintiff to end class action lawsuit. A defendant may “moot” a class action through an offer of settlement only if he satisfies the demands of the class; an offer to one cannot moot the action because it is not an offer to all.
Summary Of Decision:
In April 2009, Gareth Pitts filed a class action complaint in…
By Sam G. Sherman
The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied class certification in a suit brought by a class of roughly 1.5 million female current and former Wal-Mart employees in Wal-Mart v. Dukes. The female employees alleged that Wal-Mart’s policy of providing local managers with discretion over employment decisions has a disproportionate impact against female employees in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court after the trial court…
The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied class certification in a suit brought by a class of roughly 1.5 million female current and former Wal-Mart employees in Wal-Mart v. Dukes. The female employees alleged that Wal-Mart’s policy of providing local managers with discretion over employment decisions has a disproportionate impact against female employees in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court after the trial court and the Ninth Circuit…