calwages.com

Archive for 2011|Yearly archive page

, , , , , , ,

First District Holds That Unlicensed Law School Graduate Still May Be Exempt Under Learned Professions Exemption

In Exemptions, Professional on August 26, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Sherlock Holmes in "The Adventure of the ...

Image via Wikipedia

The First District Court of Appeal held that summary judgment was properly granted in a wage and hour case because plaintiff unlicensed law school graduate performed duties that brought him within the exemption for learned professionals.  Zelasko-Barrett v. Brayton-Purcell, LLP, — Cal.Rptr.3d —-, 2011 WL 3594015, No. A130540 (1st Dist. Aug. 17, 2011) .

Background

Plaintiff was employed by the Brayton-Purcell, LLP (Brayton) law firm as a Law Clerk II after he graduated from law school but before he passed the bar examination. Id. *1. After being admitted to the bar, plaintiff was designated as an associate attorney, and performed tasks customarily performed by junior attorneys. Id. He drafted pleadings, discover demands and responses, did legal research and drafted memoranda of points and authorities, interviewed witnesses, etc. Id. The trial court granted Brayton’s motion for summary judgment and sustained objections to numerous statements where plaintiff denied he was employed in a professional capacity and performed work covered by the professional exemption. Id. Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

Fourth District Holds That a Prevailing Employer Can Recover Costs in a Wage Case

In Costs on August 16, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Trailer parked on Fay St adjacent to the UPS f...

Image via Wikipedia

Defendant United Parcel Service, Inc. prevailed against plaintiff employee on various wage and hour causes of action including failure to pay overtime and failure to provide breaks.  Plancich v. United Parcel Service, Inc., — Cal. Rptr. 3d —-, 2011 WL 3506066, No. E050631 (4th Dist. Aug. 11, 2011). UPS won on all six counts, and the trial court awarded costs but then granted Plaintiff Plancich’s motion to strike costs.  Id. *1.  The Fourth District reversed the order granting the motion to strike costs, holding that a prevailing employer may recover costs in a wage suit.

Background

Plancich worked for UPS as an on-road supervisor.  Id.  He asserted in his complaint that he worked more than eight hours a day and more than 40 hours a week.  Id.  He also alleged that UPS misclassified him as exempt under the executive, administrative, or professional exemptions. Id.  The jury found Plancich was an exempt employee. Id. As to the unfair competition cause of action, the trial court found in favor of UPS. Id. The trial court ordered that UPS recover its costs from Plancich, in an amount to be determined. Id.

After UPS filed its memorandum of costs in the amount of $38,387.20, Plancich filed a motion to strike and tax costs based on Earley v. Superior Court, 79 Cal. App. 4th 1420 (4th Dist. 2000). Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , ,

Sixth District Holds Reverses Summary Judgment on Question of Whether Leave Policy Was Sabbatical or Regular Vacation

In Class Actions, Vacation on August 15, 2011 at 6:50 am
Lazzy Feet on a Blue Ocean Beach vacation

Image by epSos.de via Flickr

California’s Sixth District Court of Appeal held that a genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether eight-week leave was a sabbatical or regular vacation precluded summary judgment in former employee’s class action against the former employer.  Paton v. Advanced Micro Devices, — Cal. Rptr. 3d —-, 2011 WL 3369346, No. H034618 (6th Dist. Aug. 5, 2011).

Background

Plaintiff Eric Paton sued defendant Advanced Micro Divices, Inc. on behalf of himself and a class of others, alleging that Defendant had failed to pay him for an eight-week sabbatical he earned but had not used when he retired. Id. *1 Salaried employees who served for seven years were eligible for an eight-week fully paid sabbatical.  Id. Plaintiff argued that the sabbatical was extra vacation and, pursuant to Labor Code section 227.3, the employer could not require an employee to forfeit vacation pay.  Id.  Plaintiff cited Suastez v. Plastic Dress-Up Co., 31 Cal. 3d 774 (1982), to support his claim that the sabbatical had vested over the seven years he had worked for defendant and he was entitled to the pay when he resigned.  Id.   Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , ,

Jury Denies Disability Discrimination Claims, But Awards $212 for Violation of Labor Code sections 201 and 203

In Jury, Waiting Time Penalties on February 8, 2011 at 8:17 am
Welders making boilers for a ship, Combustion ...

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

In a wage and hour, failure to accommodate, and disability discrimination case, a welder alleged that his employer terminated him because of his intestinal ailment.  Cubias v. Murray’s Iron Works Inc., 7 Trials Digest 14th 14, 2010 WL 5690615, Case No. BC406749 (Cal. Superior, Verdict: July 29, 2010).

Plaintiff alleged that he was employed as an aluminum welder until defendant Murray’s Iron Works terminated his employment.  Plaintiff alleged he was harassed and terminated, when he disclosed his medical condition/disability called diverticulosis or diverticular disease., which occurred when pressure in plaintiff’s colon formed bulging pouches that can cause severe stomach cramps, aches, constipation, and/or diarrhea. Id.

Plaintiff alleged disability discrimination, failure to provide reasonable accommodation, failure to engage in the interactive process, unlawful retaliation, unlawful retaliation in violation of public policy, harassment, wrongful termination in violation of public policy, failure to prevent discrimination and harassment, failure to prevent retaliation, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and failure to pay overtime wages against defendant Murray’s Iron Works.  Id. Against defendant Irene Leisner, the Human Resources Manager and co-owner of Murray’s Iron Works, plaintiff alleged harassment, invasion of right to privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress for allegedly entering the men’s restroom at work and yelling at him to get back to work and to hurry up while he was using the restroom. Id. Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , , , ,

In an Involuntary Servitude Case, Northern District Dismisses FLSA and California Labor Code Claims

In Involuntary Servitude, Minimum Wage, Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) on January 1, 2011 at 4:11 pm
13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Aboli...
Image by The U.S. National Archives via Flickr

The Northern District dismissed plaintiffs’ FLSA and California Labor Code claims in an involuntary servitude case.  Shuvalova v. Cunningham, No. C 10-02159 RS, 2010 WL 5387770 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 22, 2010).  The case involved the “unusual scenario of one spouse bringing claims against the other for alleged violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA).” Id. *1.  Natalya Shuvalova and her daughter Elizabeth Shuvalova claimed that defendant and his adult son fraudulently lured them from Russia to the United States, induced Natalya to marry one defendant, and then forced plaintiffs into involuntary servitude at defendant’s rural property in Clearlake, California.  Id. Plaintiffs claimed that for seven months, they were forced by defendants’ alleged verbal and physical threats to perform heavy, outdoor labor on the property. Id. Plaintiffs raised eighteen claims for violations of the TVPRA, federal and state labor law, and state contract and tort law.  Id. Defendants moved to dismiss the entire complaint under Rule 12(b)(6).  Id.

Background

The court presented the allegations of the complaint as follows:

Natalya and Joe met through a computer dating service in October 2005. At the time, Natalya lived in Russia and Joe lived then and now in Clearlake, California. They began a two-year relationship involving frequent emails and phone calls, as well as two vacations together each lasting two weeks. In October 2005, [FN1] Joe proposed to Natalya and promised to provide a loving home to her and her daughter Liza. Natalya and Liza arrived in the United States in February 2008 and began living with Joe at the Clearlake property. Joe’s thirty-five-year-old son, Dan, also lived at the house on the weekends. Natalya and Joe married on May 3, 2008. . . . Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Northern District Denies Certification of Joe’s Crab Shack Meal and Rest Break Class Action

In 23(b)(2) Class, Certification, Class Actions, Meal and Rest Breaks, Overtime, Uniform on January 1, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Joe's Crab Shack
Image by Frank Kehren via Flickr

The Northern District of California denied class certification of a meal and rest break class action in Washington v. Joe’s Crab Shack, No. C 08-5551 PJH, 2010 WL 5396041 (N.D. Cal Dec. 23, 2010.) (slip op.).  Plaintiff Drew Garrett Washington asserted that defendant Crab Addison, Inc. (“Crab Addison”), a company that operates a number of Joe’s Crab Shack restaurants, failed to provide employees with meal and rest breaks, allowed its restaurant managers to manipulate employee time records to deprive employees of pay for all hours worked (including overtime and missed meal break pay), required employees to perform work “off the clock”; and required employees to pay for their own employer-mandated uniforms.  Id. *1.

Class Definition

Plaintiff moved pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23, to certify a plaintiff class consisting of “all non-exempt restaurant employees employed by Crab Addison at Joe’s Crab Shack restaurants in California from January 1, 2007, through the present.”

Discussion

The court denied the certification motion.  Id. *11.  “Plaintiff’s position is that common questions predominate because the main issue is whether—notwithstanding Crab Addison’s written policies—Joe’s Crab Shack restaurants in California followed a common unwritten policy of denying meal and rest breaks, failing to pay employees who did not take breaks, failing to pay for overtime, requiring employees to purchase their own uniforms, and so forth.” Id. Plaintiff contended that the existence of a policy or practice that in effect contradicts Crab Addison’s written policies can be ascertained by an analysis of the data in Crab Addison’s computer systems.  Id. “But since plaintiff has failed to adequately explain how that analysis works and exactly what the data shows, he has failed to adequately establish the existence of such a policy or practice.” Id. Read the rest of this entry »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 35 other followers