Over the last 5 to 10 years, many companies have started using arbitration agreements with a class action waiver to preclude employees from joining together in lawsuits for unpaid hours, wages or other terms of employment. Employers often utilize arbitration agreements with class action waivers because arbitrations are not held in court, but rather...

At one time or another, almost everyone has experienced the uncomfortable feeling in your stomach and the sometimes obnoxiously loud growling that occurs when they simply have too much work and are forced to work through their meal break. More often than not, employees simply push through their work day thinking that they will be able...

In a victory for employees, the California Supreme Court held in Sonic-Calabasas v. Moreno (Sonic II) that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) does not preempt California rules of unconscionability, meaning that employees can still seek to invalidate forced arbitration agreements that are unreasonably harsh or one-sided. The issue facing the court in Sonic II...

Now that the summer is in full swing, vacation is a topic that is near and dear to all of us. Unfortunately for some, an employer in California is not legally required to provide its employees with either paid or unpaid vacation time. Fortunately, many employers do provide paid vacation benefits to their employees....

CALIFORNIA — A man who joined a class-action lawsuit against Williams Sonoma when the company allegedly failed to provide all wages due to California employees lost his recent appeal on a separate case — as he had already signed a release that invalidated his second attempt to collect pay from the company, California’s second appellate court...

With the legal status of same-sex marriage in California thrown into limbo yet again following a federal judge’s ruling against Proposition 8, the moral arguments for and against differing conceptions of marriage rage on. In the case of Prop 8, some commentators have realized that many of the moral arguments once used to defend...

The prospect of children is one major purpose of marriage for many couples. Mom and dad playing with the kids in the summer, seeing children light up at Christmas time, and the many firsts that children experience – these things are all rooted in the minds of prospective parents. Because the parenting experience is...

This week marks the anniversary of two catastrophic events: the 9/11 terrorist attack and the 9/12 Simi Valley railroad accident. While it doesn’t continue to garner national attention like 9/11, the latter event was one of the “worst rail disasters in U.S. history,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Three years ago, Metrolink 111...

In today’s economy, business dissolution is all too common. Whether your business is dissolving because of a partnership dispute or financial problems, a business lawyer can help you properly dissolve your business and handle any liability issues. Dissolving a business is a complex process. Not only must you gain approval from shareholders, members or...

Personal Injury in Southern California Medical professionals experience difficulties with consistently detecting and diagnosing mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in patients. However, a new study testing the accuracy of an advanced imaging scanner in identifying TBIs is yielding some promising results. If this scanner proves more efficient in locating TBIs than other...