Working for a public entity, as do many of our potential employment clients, raises a number of procedural issues. Today we will focus on just one, the limit on the right of California public entity employees to sue for termination in violation of public policy. This cause of action is not available to employees of ...

There are many differences in the state and federal family leave acts with regard to covered medical conditions. California employees are entitled to take either federal Family Medical Leave Act time off or California Family Medical Leave. FMLA leave is available for a serious health condition of the employ...

This is a common dilemma in our California employment discrimination cases.  On the one hand, various HIPPA laws and state laws (such as the California Constitution, common law, and California Civil Code 56) provide for privacy and limited use of an employee's medical records. Numerous 'internal" walls exist t...

As the old saying goes, "its not over until the paperwork's done". Nowhere is this more true than the conclusion of your employment discrimination case. It really doesn't matter what specific area of law you have settled your employment law case on (age, sex, race, national origin, industrially injured worker, ...

Discrimination in California employment based on disability is made illegal by Cal Gov't Code Section 12940(a). The federal equivalent is the Americans With Disabilities Act ("ADA"). An employee is protected if he or she has a qualifying mental or physical disability (ie, medical condition  is a health impair...

With thousands of armed forces members returning from active duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, rejoining their former employers has not been easy. California's Military & Veteran's Code Section 389, et seq, protects former employees seeking to return to their jobs. In some cases the California law provides more...

Effective January 1, 2013, California employees now have new protections with regard to privacy rights and their social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter. The new law adds section 980 to the California Labor Code and prohibits your employer from requiring or requesting that you disclose a username o...

A number of cases are presented to our California state-wide employment lawyers every year concerning questions that applicants for employment (and in rare cases, those already employed seeking promotions, etc.) are asked concerning their age. For today's blog, lets assume that anyone over 40 years of age is co...

In a decision of major importance to all California employees who are facing a leave of absence from work due to pregnancy, a recent decision should greatly assist these employees. In a case of first impression, the California Court of Appeals has held that an employer may not fire an employee who fails to retu...

Recent California Supreme Court Opinion in Harris v. City of Santa Monica Clarifies Standards of Proof in Employment “Mixed Motive” Cases and Limits Damages Available to Employees On February 7, 2013, the California Supreme Court handed down a long-anticipated unanimous ruling in Harris v. City of Santa ...