Harassment and discrimination

Article by: Michael Thompson

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, a Los Angeles jury hit billionaire Alki David and two of his media companies, FilmOn and Alki David Productions, with an $8.25 million verdict on claims of battery, sexual battery, and sexual harassment brought by Mahim Khan, a former employee. After turkey and stuffing, the jury

Last week, on August 30, 2019, Governor Newsom signed SB 778 which delayed the deadline for some employers to train employees about sexual harassment in the workplace.  Here are five items employers must understand about how SB 778 impacts the obligation to provide sexual harassment training to employees:

1. Small employers now have until January

As the mid-point of the year approaches, employers should review their sexual harassment training obligations and ensure compliance, especially with the new law requiring sexual harassment prevention training for all employees by January 1, 2020 for employers with five or more employees.  Existing law already requires employers in California with 50 or more workers to

This Friday’s Five lists five action items employers should utilize when conducting harassment investigations:

1. Selecting the investigator

Employers should take time to train an in-house person who can conduct harassment investigations.  This person, usually someone from Human Resources (but it does not need to be) should have additional experience and training about how to

California employers have many different obligations to train employees on certain issues.  The primary training obligation that applies to nearly every employer (with 5 or more employees) is to provide sexual harassment prevention training.  However, as set forth below, different industries have different standards, and employers need to review the requirements that pertain to their

California passed a wave of new laws in 2018 relating to the #metoo movement, many of which prohibit confidential settlement agreements or disclosure of allegations related to sexual harassment in the workplace.  This Friday’s Five post reviews five areas impacted by these new laws in 2019, which illustrate the need for employers to stay informed

The beginning of 2019 brought substantial employment case settlements and verdicts.  This Friday’s Five reviews the settlements and verdicts that should catch the attention of all employers, as well as a review of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new ruling on arbitration agreements for transportation workers:

1. Restaurant settles claim with Labor Commissioner for $4 million

It is important for employers in California to make sure that their front-line managers dealing with employees on a day-to-day basis are knowledgeable about different employment issues that routinely come up in the employment context.  This week’s Friday’s Five covers five areas that employers should review with their managers to ensure they inform the appropriate

Yesterday, September 30, 2018 was the last day for Governor Brown to sign or veto legislation passed by the California legislature this year.  Here is a list of the employment bills that were signed and will impact California employers in 2019 (the bills will become effective January 1, 2019, unless the bill specifies otherwise):

AB

[Update: AB 3080 was vetoed by the Governor on September 30, 2018, and will not become law.  Click here to see other bills that were approved by the Governor and will become law for California employers in 2019.]

California legislature passed AB 3080 which prohibits employers from entering into arbitration agreements with employees and