On June 2, 2009, the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District, Division One, dramatically reversed an $86 million dollar judgment previously entered against Starbucks in a class action lawsuit by a San Diego trial court. The Appellate Court determined that Starbucks did not violate California Labor Code § 351 by requiring an equitable [...]
Million Dollar Verdict Report-May/June, 2009
In its May/June, 2009 editions, California Bar Journal is reporting the following million dollar plus verdicts against California employers:
$2,812,000.00 verdict against Toyota Motor Corporation, resulting from the unlawful termination of a Chinese woman due to pregnancy, maternity leave and ethnicity (Sun v. Toyota Motor Corp., Los Angeles County Superior Court);
$1,200,000.00 verdict against the City of [...]
The Double Standard-Public Employers Are Generally Exempt From the Labor Code
By affirming the Trial Court’s decision to sustain a Water District’s Demurrer to a class-action complaint, the Appellate Court for the Fifth Appellate District has clearly stated that unless Labor Code provisions are specifically made applicable to public employers, they only apply to employers in the private sector. Randell Johnson v. Arvin-Edison Water Storage District [...]