Business Law Journal

According to a recent unanimous decision by the California Court of Appeal’s First District, an action alleging violations of California’s Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) may be filed in any county where any allegedly aggrieved employee worked or alleges to have suffered violations of the Labor Code.  It does not matter where the employee suing the company worked or where the employer-company is located. 

Drafting arbitration provisions in the employment context is becoming a form of art. Recent decisions issued by the California Courts of Appeal highlight to employers that even valid arbitration agreements are subject to the court’s scrutiny when it comes to representative actions under the California’s Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”), and may not achieve the intended result depending upon the language used in the arbitration agreement.