Employment Litigation

Effective March 19, 2020, Governor Newsome issued a “Stay-At-Home Order” for the entire state of California (Executive Order N-33-20), that directed all individuals living in California to stay home or at their place of residence, except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of the federal “Critical Infrastructure Sectors” designated by Homeland Security. The Order indicated that Californians working in these Critical Infrastructure Sectors may continue their work because of the importance of these sectors …

On March 18, 2020, the federal government temporarily expanded the scope and application of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), via the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and its Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLAE or Expanded FMLA). This new law is effective on April 1, 2020 and will remain in effect until December 31, 2020. In sum, the Expanded FMLA provides 12-weeks of job-protected leave, with 10 weeks of paid leave, …

California Bolsters its Sexual Harassment Laws in the Wake of the #MeToo Era By: Jessica Yang California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed into law a number of bills in response to the #MeToo movement that will significantly impact employer obligations and employee rights. This trio of bills makes it easier for employees to bring sexual harassment claims, while at the same time making it more difficult for employers to resolve them and imposing additional training …