California officials filed a lawsuit against Walmart on Monday, alleging the retail giant illegally dumped hazardous waste in state landfills. Walmart said it will fight the lawsuit, which it called “unjustified,” per AP. Why it matters: The suit alleges Walmart unlawfully disposed of about 159,600 pounds in items each year over the past six years in landfills not equipped to handle toxic waste in...

Oakland, CA – On November 9, Galena Goins, Sonia Lopez, and Terry A. Jones-Jackson filed a nationwide class action and collective lawsuit in the District Court for the Northern District of California alleging that their employer, United Parcel Service, systematically discriminated against them and women similarly situated on the basis of gender, age and disability. They claim that UPS violated federal and California...

The California State Assemblywas busy passing laws this year, despite disruptions to the session from the pandemic. From environmental protections to streamlining assisted death, many changes are in store for residents of the “Golden State”. San Francisco’s Democratic Senator Scott Wiener drafted measure SB487 in an effort to address California’s housing crisis. This legislation will relax the limits on square footage based...

Supply chain disruptions, coupled with a surge in online shopping, have led to overstretched companies and impatient customers. The supply chain crisis1 continues to cause shipping delays across the nation as companies struggle to work around pandemic-related constraints. A recent case in the Los Angeles County Superior Court has put companies and individuals who advertise or conduct business, online or otherwise,...

COVID-19 has permanently changed the workplace we once knew. Employers needed to adapt to new legislation meant to deal with the unprecedented impact of the pandemic. Expansion of the California Family Rights Act, mandatory paid sick leave for COVID-related illness, extended workplace safety protections, and workers’ compensation coverage for employees based on the rebuttable presumption they contracted COVID-19 at the...

Following the recent trend of retailers abandoning gendered store sections and product lines, California has passed legislation that will force certain large retailers to adopt non-gendered children’s sections in California store locations. Assembly Bill 1084, signed into law on October 9, 2021 by California Governor Gavin Newsom, applies to all retail department stores in California that have 500 or more...

This bill expands coverage of existing law under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1001, known as the STAND (Stand Together Against Non-Disclosures) Act, which prohibits public and private employers of any size from settling lawsuits and administrative claims using agreements that prevent the disclosure of factual information regarding: Sexual assault Sexual harassment Workplace harassment and discrimination based on sex The failure...

In 2021, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several laws impacting California employers. The new laws — some of which recently became effective and others were signed into law just weeks ago and take effect January 1, 2022 — address several topics, including employees of warehouse distribution centers, settlement and nondisparagement agreements, and workplace safety. As a reminder, the minimum wage...

A recently amended California law will now allow the estates of deceased plaintiffs, including mesothelioma patients, to collect pain and suffering damages. Previously, only the person who sustained bodily injury could recover pain and suffering damages. These damages are often the largest sums of money at stake in many mesothelioma lawsuits. When it becomes law on Jan. 1, Senate Bill...