Belief: California’s heat illness rules are satisfied by having a written plan on file. The plan is the starting point, not the finish line. Cal/OSHA’s outdoor heat illness standard (Title 8, §3395) and the newer indoor standard (Title 8, §3396,…
“It is just a tuition perk; we are fine” is what an owner says about an educational-assistance program that is operating outside §127’s structure. Internal Revenue Code §127 lets an employer exclude up to $5,250 per year in qualified educational…
“We told them about it in the handbook” is the line that does the least work in the lawsuit. Productivity monitoring software — keystroke logging, screen capture at intervals, idle-time scoring, application-use tracking — has moved into small-business operations. A…
“The arbitration agreement they signed with the staffing agency covers us” is the assumption that just got tested in California’s First District — and lost. In Toothman v. Redwood Toxicology Laboratory, Inc., filed May 5, 2026 and certified for publication,…
“They signed the clawback, so we’re covered” is a sentence that stopped being true in California on January 1, 2026. AB 692 took effect on that date. It added Business and Professions Code §16608 and Labor Code §926, and it…
“Our 1099 paperwork is airtight” is the belief that produced an alleged $4,423,450 assessment against Hart Placement Agency. In April 2026, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office assessed Hart Placement, a Los Angeles home-care agency, and its principals $4,423,450 for the…
“She never asked for anything” is the sentence that turns a manageable performance issue into a FEHA case. Under FEHA, the duty to engage in the interactive process is not triggered by a formal accommodation request. It is triggered when…
Most California small employers know the FEHA list — race, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and the rest. Family structure is not on it, so the assumption is that hiring decisions, leave requests, and bereavement policies do…
Belief: when a manager adjusts a high performer’s schedule to handle a family situation, that is a personnel favor — not a compliance issue. The favor becomes a compliance issue the moment another employee compares notes and the file shows…
Belief: when a California-based employee works a week in Nevada, Texas, or Arizona, that state’s overtime rules apply because that is where the work happened. California courts and the Labor Commissioner have rejected that view. California’s daily-and-weekly overtime rules generally…
We use cookies to improve your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and provide essential website functionality. You can choose to accept or manage your preferences.
