Business Law Blog

HOW THE LAW PREVENTS EMPLOYERS FROM FINDING OUT By Thomas F. Nowland, Esq. You painstakingly scour hiring apps and actively recruit quality candidates to fill positions, but how do you prevent hiring the next employment lawsuit that will end up costing your company tens of thousands of dollars to resolve? Your first thought, and the prudent approach, is to do a thorough [...]

The California employment law environment is widely recognized as one of the most rigorously regulated and aggressively litigated jurisdictions globally. The state’s primary enforcement apparatus, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), operates with an expansive statutory mandate to enforce the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). The CRD actively investigates thousands of claims annually; in 2023 alone, the agency received nearly 30,000 [...]

For operations managers and corporate executives navigating the California legal landscape, defending against an underlying allegation of discrimination or harassment constitutes only half of the legal threat matrix. Employers face a statistically greater, and often more financially devastating, threat from secondary claims of workplace retaliation. Data consistently indicates that retaliation claims constitute the majority of all charges filed with administrative agencies; in [...]

Legal Disclaimer: The following is NOT legal advice. It is NOT recommended to draft your own CRD Position Statement without the assistance of a retained attorney. You should rely on a retained labor attorney for this situation, and not an internet post meant for general information. Use of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship, you are not a client of [...]

How Is That Possible? By Thomas F. Nowland, Esq. Notice: The below article should only be considered as 'general information'. Only a retained attorney that analyzes your specific situation, facts, and details, can offer you sound legal advice. The information below should not be considered legal advice for you and your situation, and your reading or relying on this information does not [...]

How Plaintiff Lawyers Use the System Against You By Thomas F. Nowland, Esq. Copyright 2026 Nowland Law All Rights Reserved. You just received a summons and lawsuit filed by a former employee claiming wage and hour violations including failure to pay overtime, failure to allow meal and rest breaks, discrimination and wrongful termination. "Wait, what?!" you say. “I always pay overtime and [...]

Operating a business in California means accepting a hard truth: the employment litigation environment is a heavily armed gauntlet, and the default assumption of the state is that the employer is liable. Even when a company acts flawlessly—strictly following the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), engaging in the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) interactive process, and paying health premiums out of [...]

For decades, the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) has functioned as a strict-liability mechanism, allowing employees to sue on behalf of the state for minor Labor Code violations. The result? Massive settlements that disproportionately benefit plaintiff attorneys while draining California businesses. The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) receives thousands of PAGA notices annually. In the 2024-2025 fiscal year alone, the [...]

California employers face a rapidly shifting operational landscape. Lawmakers recently passed bills that rewrite the rules on employee contracts, escalate safety enforcement into criminal matters, and dramatically increase administrative penalties. Businesses must audit their operations now to avoid costly surprises in 2027. AB 1697: A Delay for the Ban on Stay-or-Pay Contracts California recently targeted "stay-or-pay" contracts. These include training repayment agreements [...]

California human resources departments face a complex set of new rules as we approach 2027. Lawmakers are expanding the Fair Employment and Housing Act, broadening leave policies, and requiring new types of employee training. These changes will alter HR compliance standards and increase the risk of workplace lawsuits. AB 1940: Accommodations for Menopause Assembly Bill 1940 explicitly adds perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause, and [...]

Employee monitoring and digital privacy are facing strict new limits. The California legislature recently passed several bills that dictate how businesses can track workers and website visitors. For California employers, these changes bring a mix of heavy new compliance burdens and some welcome relief from predatory lawsuits. AB 1331 and AB 1883: New Limits on Employee Monitoring Corporate surveillance is getting pushed [...]

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how businesses operate. The California legislature noticed this trend and is stepping in to regulate how employers use automated systems. Unchecked technological workforce management will soon be a thing of the past. Two major bills are currently awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom's signature. Senate Bill 947 and Senate Bill 951 will expose employers to heavy litigation and civil [...]