State Employment Law Articles

nding five years of contentious litigation, the Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed a million-dollar jury verdict for negligent misrepresentation against the head coach of the University of Minnesota (“U of M”) Men’s Basketball Team for offering an assistant coaching job to a former assistant coach

On August 6, 2012, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed the "Temporary Worker Right to Know Act." The Act, which takes effect on November 5, 2012, places several new legal burdens on staffing agencies in Massachusetts, as well as companies that utilize their services. Specifically, the Act re

All employers who employ at least five full-time employees (in any city or state) and have at least one employee who performs work within the City of Seattle must soon comply with Seattle’s Sick/Safe Leave law. The new law goes into effect on September 1, 2012. All employees, regardless of whether t

In enacting protections from tort liability for negligent hiring and retention claims for businesses that hire and employ rehabilitated ex-offenders, Ohio joins a handful of other states that are introducing such measures to help facilitate the reintegration of ex-offenders into the workforce.

On August 6, 2012, Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts signed into law Senate Bill 2400, "An Act improving the quality of healthcare and reducing costs through increased transparency, efficiency and innovation."

On August 1, 2012, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a bill modifying Illinois' Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act to limit employers' access to applicants' and employees' restricted social media accounts. The Illinois bill applies to both public sector and private sector employers.

Some employers in Philadelphia must provide their employees with paid sick leave. Pursuant to an amendment to Chapter 17-1300 of the Philadelphia Code, titled "Philadelphia 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard,” certain entities providing services to, or receiving financial aid from, the

Executive Summary: Illinois has joined a growing trend to protect workers from employers who want access to their Facebook or other social networking accounts. On August 1, 2012, Governor Quinn signed into law an amendment to the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act.

Where the parties’ arbitration agreement was neither unconscionable nor in violation of public policy, the employee must arbitrate her individual wage and hour claims against her employer, the California Court of Appeal has ruled, affirming an order compelling arbitration in a class action for Calif

Executive Summary: The California Court of Appeal recently affirmed an award of over $400,000 in attorneys' fees in favor of a group of ex-employees in a trade secret misappropriation lawsuit filed by their former employer, finding that the lawsuit was filed in bad faith. This decision highlights th

Pursuant to the newly amended California Labor Code section 2751, all California employers who pay employees by commission must have a written contract specifying the terms of the commission compensation at issue by January 1, 2013. Against that backdrop, a California Court of Appeal has provided an

Executive Summary: The Eleventh Circuit recently addressed one of the most confusing questions surrounding Georgia's new Restrictive Covenant Act (RCA): did the law become effective on November 3, 2011, as the General Assembly intended, or did it become effective May 11, 2011, when the legislature r

The New York State Senate and Assembly recently passed a bill amending New York Labor Law section 193 to expand an employer's ability to make deductions from employee wages. The bill is currently awaiting delivery from the New York State Assembly to the governor's office for his approval. The govern

Several bills are pending before the New Jersey legislature that, if enacted, could significantly impact New Jersey employers. This Alert highlights some of the more significant bills.

On July 9, 2012, the Arizona Supreme Court handed down its decision in Engler v. Gulf Interstate Engineering, Inc. and announced that an employer may not be held vicariously liable for an after-work accident caused by an employee who was on an extended out-of-town assignment. The court found that an

Unlike the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, an exemption under the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act (MFLSA) for agricultural workers does not apply to workers who are paid on an hourly basis, according to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. In re Labor Law Violation of Daley Farm of Lewiston, No. 11-

California is the birthplace of the franchise business model. Today, there are approximately 62,000 independent franchisees operating in California, employing more than 1.1 million state residents.

On July 2, 2012, the California Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in State Building and Constructions Trades Councils of California, AFL – CIO v. City of Vista, No. S173586. The court held that locally funded public works projects performed by chartered cities are municipal affairs unde

A bulletin on employment, labor, benefits and immigration law.

Alabama has joined the majority of other states in enacting a law that prohibits texting and e-mailing while driving. Effective August 1, 2012, the law makes it unlawful to manually write, send or read a text or e-mail while operating a motor vehicle. Alabama Code § 32-21-1. Violators will be subjec