Cases: Employment

Employment: Terminated Employee Could Not Recover Labor Code Section 2802(c) Fees For Expenditures Incurred Post-Employment While She Was An Independent Contractor

Cases: Employment

  Fee Recovery Properly Denied, With Lower Court Correctly Construing Jury Special Verdict.     In Letizia v. Wentworth, Paoli & Purdy, LLP, Case No. G050132 (4th Dist. Div. 3 Aug. 17, 2015) (unpublished), cross-complainant obtained a jury verdict in her favor, with the jury making these specific findings:  (1) cross-complainant was terminated by cross-defendant as

Costs/Employment: Federal Circuit Court Rules That FLSA Does Not Allow Plaintiffs To Obtain Reimbursement For Expert Witnesses Except For Per Diem Witness/Testimonial Travel Fees

Cases: Costs, Cases: Employment

  We Came To The Same Conclusion In A July 6, 2009 Prior Post.      The Second Circuit Court of Appeals, in Gortat v. Capala Brothers, Inc., No. 14-3304-cv (2d Cir. July 29, 2015), decided that prevailing plaintiffs in a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) case are not entitled to reimbursement of expert witness expenses

Employment: Lower Court Improperly Denied Fees To Winning Employee At Labor Commissioner Level Where Employer Withdrew Appeal To Superior Court

Cases: Employment

  Labor Code Section 98.2 Is Not Symmetrical, Never Intending To Incentivize Employers To File Frivolous Appeals And Then Withdraw Them.      Royal Pacific Funding Corp. v. Arneson, Case No. G050158 (4th Dist., Div. 3 July 28, 2015) (unpublished) concerned an employee who won a Labor Commissioner wage claim of $29,500, prompting an appeal to

Allocation, Employment, Section 998: Plaintiff Accepting 998 Offer Entitled To Labor Code Fees For Inextricably Intertwined Wage-Hour/Overtime/Failure To Maintain Records Claims

Cases: Allocation, Cases: Employment, Cases: Section 998

  Although Meal And Rest Break Claims Would Not Trigger Fee Recovery, Other Claims Did The Trick.      Barnes v. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Inc., Case No. B255034 (2d Dist., Div. 1 July 29, 2015) (unpublished) is an interesting 998/apportionment case which has some lessons for both plaintiffs and the defense in the Labor Code violations

Costs, Employment, Prevailing Party: LLC Defendant Obtaining Dismissal Entitled To Fee Recovery Under Former Labor Code Section 218.5 And Routine Costs In Employment Case Involving Meal Breaks

Cases: Costs, Cases: Employment, Cases: Prevailing Party

  Current Section 218.5, Requiring Bad Faith By Employee, Not Retroactive Before January 1, 2014.      In Quiles v. Koji’s Japan Inc., Case No. G049238 (4th Dist., Div. 3   April 3, 2015) (unpublished), employee in an employment case, involving multiple claims including meal breaks, added LLC defendant on an alter ego theory. Eventually, LLC defendant

Cases Under Review, Employment, Prevailing Party, Section 998: Employer Accepting 998 $20,000 Offer From Former Employee In Wage/Hour Suit Assessed With $162,434.25 In Fees Under Labor Code Section 1194 Given 998 Offer Was Silent On Fees/Costs

Cases: Cases Under Review, Cases: Employment, Cases: Prevailing Party, Cases: Section 998

  $202,882.50 In Fees Had Been Requested.      Portugal v. Sewer and Pipeline Contractor, Inc., Case No. B251730 (2d Dist., Div. 3 Mar. 18, 2015) (unpublished) dealt with a former employee suing an employer for minimum wage/overtime compensation violations. Employee served a 998 offer, which did not allocate a $20,000 settlement offer among claims and

Employment, Reasonableness Of Fees: Plaintiff Winning Statutory Wage/Hour Penalties Of $4,000 Also Garnered $41,500 In Fees

Cases: Employment, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees

Trial Court Did Reduce Hourly Rate And Only Awarded Fees For Trial Attorney Work.      In Yoo v. Song, Case No. B256229 (2d Dist., Div. 7 Feb. 17, 2015) (unpublished), an ex-employee of defendants sued for unpaid overtime, statutory penalties under Labor Code sections 203 and 226, pay for meal/rest periods under Labor Code section

Employment: $9.267.64 Costs Award And $122,378 Fee Award To Winning Employee Affirmed Even Though Compensatory Recovery Was Only $58,977.03

Cases: Employment

  Labor Code Section 218.5 Justified Fee Recovery.      In Hines v. Premier Power Renewable Energy, Inc., Case No. G04912 (4th Dist., Div. 3 Nov. 25, 2014) (unpublished), employee won a compensatory verdict of $58,977.03 against a solar panel employer for failure to pay certain commissions/overages owed under the employment relationship. Following the verdict, the

In The News . . . . E.D. Pa. Judge Awards Wage/Hour Attorneys 20% Of Settlement Fund, While D. Mass. Judge Awards Neurotin Class Action Counsel 28% Percentage Of Recovery In Class Action Case

Cases: Class Actions, Cases: Employment, Cases: Lodestar

  Fee Award in TD Bank Wage/Hour Class Action.      In Keller v. TD Bank, N.A., Civ. Action No. 12-5045 (E.D.Pa. Nov. 4, 2014 Order), U.S. District Judge L. Felipe Restrepo awarded class action counsel exactly what they wanted–$1.2 million in fees out of a $6 million settlement fund in the settlement of a wage/hour

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