Legal Updates

The California state legislature has amended its labor code to create a rebuttable presumption in favor of an employee or applicant for employment’s claim that an employer discharged the employee or applicant or in any manner discriminated, retaliated, or took any adverse action against ... Read More

Current California law generally requires, as a condition precedent to the issuance, reinstatement, reactivation, renewal, or continued maintenance of a license, an applicant for a contractor’s license or a licensee to have on file at all times a current and valid Certificate ... Read More

California has passed a law concerning the Earned Income Tax Credit Information Act, authorizing employers to notify all employees via e-mail (rather than physical mail) that they may be eligible for specified income tax filing assistance programs and state and federal antipoverty tax ... Read More

A new California law both (1) emphasizes that noncompete agreements and clauses are generally void under current state law, and (2) makes noncompetes not only void, but illegal under state law. The law further requires employers to notify current or former employees ... Read More

Currently, the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) does not allow employees to use accrued paid leave – such as PTO, sick time, and vacation time – while receiving PFMLA benefits. Effective November 1, 2023, however, employees will be ... Read More

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace” for public comment. The proposed guidance emphasizes that harassment remains a serious workplace problem, and that between the beginning of fiscal year (FY) 2018 and ... Read More

California has changed the state’s paid sick leave provisions, specifically regarding the use, accrual, and carryover of paid sick leave, as follows: The new requirements are effective January 1, 2024.

Rhode Island has amended the Payment of Wages Act to target wage theft by imposing criminal liability for certain wage and hour violations by employers. Now, employers who “knowingly and willfully” fail to pay wages over $1,500 may face up to three ... Read More

California recently passed a new workplace safety law requiring employers to establish, implement, and maintain an effective workplace violence prevention plan. These workplace violence prevention plans: Employers must develop their plans by the law’s July 1, 2024 effective date.

Under current Maryland law, a noncompete or conflict of interest provision in an employment contract that restricts the ability of an employee to enter into employment with a new employer or to become self-employed in the same or similar business or ... Read More

New York City’s sick and safe leave regulations have been changed, altering several important aspects of the law. Regarding eligibility under the law, the regulations now specify that an employee who only performs work, including by telecommuting, while physically located outside of New York ... Read More

New York has enacted a law aimed at safeguarding the rights of employees regarding the inventions they create. Key Provisions: Note that existing provisions that conflict with this new law are considered unenforceable.