Month: May 2015
“He said, (s)he said” evidence good enough to get discrimination cases to trial
Many people who suspect they have been wrongfully terminated think they need "smoking gun" evidence to even have a chance in court. Not so, says a recent California appellate court case. In Nigro v. Sears, Roebuck and Co., the court ruled that just about any kind of...
New California sick leave rules go into effect soon
Almost all California employers must offer employees paid sick time under the new "Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act," which goes into effect on July 1, 2015. How much time must be offered depends on whether employees are given leave right away, or whether it...
Payments for employment claims are almost always taxable
It's increasingly common for lawyers to try to shield payments in employment cases from taxes by characterizing them as payments for "personal injury." After a recent decision by a California appellate court, they shouldn't. Payments for personal, physical injuries...
California law prohibits harassment of employees of contractor companies
California courts continue to extend sex harassment protections to all categories of workers, most recently employees of contractors working at employer job sites. In Hirst v. City of Oceanside, an employee of a phlebotomy company working for the Oceanside Police...