Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse

https://pajaronian.com/protect-small-business/

California Supreme Court Denies Request to Evaluate Constitutionality of Proposition 22 Castellanos v. California, S266551 (Pet. For Writ of Mandate Denied Feb. 3, 2021) On February 3, 2021, the California Supreme Court denied a petition for writ of mandate by drivers for Uber, Lyft, and other similar services to declare a proposition passed by voters unconstitutional. Proposition 22 prevents some drivers from invoking the heightened independent contractor standard estab...lished in a 2019 California statute. Plaintiffs alleged that Proposition 22 unconstitutionally interfered with state legislature’s ability to regulate the workers’ compensation system and removed employment protections from hundreds of drivers on ride share services. In a docket entry, the Court denied the petition, but left open the possibility that plaintiffs could file in a lower court. See more

Trial Lawyers Playbook.....

More California Employers Are Getting Hit with PAGA Claims....

"California’s legal climate continues to strangle business, cost jobs and announce outrageous settlements such as the consumer who was awarded one dollar in damages, but the consumer’s lawyer in the case.... " http://www.capoliticalreview.com//california-drops-to-thi/

CALA Executive Director Victor Gomez: Business climate must change in 2021.

December 2020 Podcast with Regional Director Maryann Marino & David LoPresti.

It’s Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week (LAAW), a time to bring attention to the excesses and abuses in the civil justice system and to let people know that these are not just matter for lawyers or professorsThere are matters that affect all of us. Read more from Tiger Joyce, President of the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) by clicking the link below: https://bit.ly/36PEBU7

A coalition of almost 40 business groups have urged California’s Governor to protect businesses providing critical services from lawsuits. Read more from Law360: https://www.law360.com//calif-biz-groups-want-litigation-p

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Paul Little wrote an article urging the California Legislature to reform the Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) in order to protect businesses against unwarranted lawsuits. Read the article in the link below: http://businesslife.com/articles.php?id=3283

Our Regional Director Julie Griffiths wrote in response to an editorial discussing two new California laws - the Privacy Act and Assembly Bill 5. Thank you for your thoughtful editorial regarding California’s new privacy law. You are correct, California’s Privacy Act and Assembly Bill 5 are both well-intentioned bills replete with troubling costs and repercussions. No one disputes the importance of privacy and employment protections, but at what price? At Citizens Agains...t Lawsuit Abuse, we cringe when we see the term private right of action, which is a phrase in legislation that opens up enforcement by lawsuit and is present in both new laws. Corporations, with their deep pockets, are better equipped to handle the inevitable list of lawsuits that are headed their way, but small and medium size businesses will undoubtedly be the victims of suits they can’t afford and will be forced to settle because the cost of litigation is far too expensive. Denying access to the courts for family run businesses seems to be the way California has chosen to enforce the new laws and it is concerning. We hope one day, individual rights can be protected without trampling on other rights. https://www.record-bee.com/2020/01/14/from-our-readers-88/

From today's Ventura County Star: "These lawsuits are a serious problem because as they hurt small businesses around California, they hold back the entire state economy. When businesses of any size are spending all their resources on fighting and settling lawsuits, that means they can’t afford to invest in hiring new employees, growing their company, and implementing initiatives to help their communities." --Gary Cushing, President & CEO of the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce http://bit.ly/2shvQjK

50% of all class action cases in the United States are filed in California. With a legislature seemingly focused on creating new, innovative ways for trial lawyers to make life miserable for small business owners and consumers, it's not a shock that we were just ranked the 2nd worst Judicial Hellhole in America. Full report --> https://www.judicialhellholes.org/2019-2020/california/

California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) is forcing scores of businesses into bankruptcy. Even a simple mistake like putting a company’s P.O. Box, rather than physical address, on a pay stub can result in a PAGA violation.... Rather than acting as a tool to protect workers across California, PAGA is now more often used so the attorneys involved can collect hefty fees, leaving the employees they are supposed to be representing with very little compensation. In one well-documented PAGA lawsuit, lawyers representing employees collected more than $2 million from the case’s settlement while the employees received just $1.08. Let’s stop attorneys who take advantage of California labor laws https://www.modbee.com//opn-columns/article236239433.html

"California is still considered a minefield of legal traps and costs when it comes to doing business here and adding to all Californians cost of living." http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com//lawsuit-abuse-awareness/

"Governor Should Reject Renewed Attack on Arbitration" and veto #AB51 http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com//governor-should-reject-/

Have you ever seen a grocery filled with Proposition 65 signage everywhere? That's all an attempt to avoid being hit with a meritless lawsuit. We don't need warnings on peanut butter, potato chips, or fries. CalChamber Seeks End to Prop.65 Warnings for Acrylamide: Files Lawsuit Against California AG. "Common sources of acrylamide in the diet (and subjects of Proposition 65 litigation) include baked goods, breakfast cereal, black ripe olives, coffee, grilled asparagus, French... fries, peanut butter, potato chips, and roasted nuts." http://bit.ly/35dDzyb See more

According to the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s 2019 Lawsuit Climate Survey, California is ranked 48th, and tthe legal environment may become more perilous for businesses as more progressive legislation continues to be introduced, an industry leader says. The director of the California National Federation of Independent Business said the state's poor ranking was not unexpected. It comes as no surprise that California is once again languishing at the bottom of yet ...another state-by-state legal climate survey, John Kabateck, state director of the NFIB, said. Our progressive policymakers have two best friends in the State Capitol - plaintiffs' attorneys and labor unions - and repeatedly opt to place their special interests miles above the interests of small business and constituents in their districts. http://bit.ly/2oMnU8m https://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/states/california