Ramona Carrillo

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By:  Nicholas E. Ma

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently confirmed in Tauscher v. Phoenix Board of Realtors, Inc. that while employers must engage in an “interactive process” with disabled employees to explore possible accommodations, there is no interactive process requirement for public accommodations and services.  By the same token, businesses and entities providing public accommodations cannot discharge the duties they owe to disabled patrons because of a failure to engage in the interactive process.

Title III of the ADA provides that no individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation.  (42 U.S.C. § 12182(a).)  A public accommodation must furnish “appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities.”  (28 C.F.R. § 36.303(c)(1).)  While “[a] public accommodation should consult with individuals with disabilities whenever possible to determine what type of auxiliary aid is needed to ensure effective communication,” the regulations make clear that “the ultimate decision as to what measures to take rests with the public accommodation, provided that the method chosen results in effective communication.”  (Id. § 36.303(c)(1)(ii).)…
Continue Reading Ninth Circuit Clarifies the Interactive Process Does Not Apply to Public Accommodations under Title III

By:  Kritika Thukral

Background

Mandatory arbitration agreements are a source of contention in employment law. However, since 2000, they are generally permissible in California. In response, the California Legislature has made repeated efforts to ban such agreements over the years. In the past, many such bills have passed both the state assembly and the state senate and have ended up on the Governor’s desk. However, none of the bills have been enacted into law. Nevertheless, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez from San Diego has introduced Assembly Bill 51 (AB 51) in the current legislative session. This bill is nearly identical to the previous vetoed measures to make mandatory arbitration agreements illegal.
Continue Reading AB 51: Another Attempt to Take Down Mandatory Arbitration Agreements in California

Summary of Program

With the ever increasing number of claims filed with the Department of Labor and California Labor Commissioner for unpaid overtime, and the increasing number of wage and hour class action lawsuits, the importance of correctly classifying employees as exempt or non-exempt is clear.  This seminar is designed to help employers and HR professionals gain a more thorough understanding of the various exemptions available under California law and learn how to conduct an exemption analysis in order to reduce potential liability.
Continue Reading Upcoming Seminar: Exempt Status – More Than Just a Salary

Summary of Program

The risks involved in misclassifying a worker as an independent contractor rather than an employee have always been serious. A number of federal and state agencies regulate the proper classification of workers and have the authority to impose significant monetary and non-monetary sanctions against employers who get the classification wrong. In 2018, the California Supreme Court issued a decision that made independent contractor status even harder to establish under some circumstances – so now the risk of misclassification is amplified!
Continue Reading Upcoming Seminar: Independent Contractors v. Employees – Do Independent Contractors Still Exist?

Brendan Begley spearheads the firm’s Appeals and Writs group and is a member of the firm’s labor and employment, litigation, and trust, probate and elder abuse litigation groups. He is an Appellate Law Specialist certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

Brendan will be speaking at The Rutter Group and the…