Cal-Peculiarities: How California Employment Law is Different 2022 Edition

iv | 2022 Cal-Peculiarities ©2022 Seyfarth Shaw LLP  www.seyfarth.com 3.3 Disclosure of Working Conditions ...................................................................................................... 60 3.4 Right to Designate Counsel................................................................................................................ 60 3.5 Employee Whistleblowing .................................................................................................................. 60 3.6 Refusal to Undergo Medical Treatment or Exam ............................................................................... 63 3.7 Changing Personal Information.......................................................................................................... 63 4. Employee Privacy—Protection From Intrusions ........................................................ 66 4.1 Drug Testing ....................................................................................................................................... 66 4.2 Questions about Certain Arrests and Convictions ............................................................................. 66 4.3 Polygraph Tests.................................................................................................................................. 68 4.4 HIV Testing......................................................................................................................................... 68 4.5 Genetic Testing .................................................................................................................................. 68 4.6 Tape Recording and Videotaping....................................................................................................... 68 4.7 Medical Records................................................................................................................................. 69 4.8 Social Security Numbers and Other Personal Information................................................................. 69 4.9 Security of Personal Information ........................................................................................................ 70 4.10 Personnel Records ............................................................................................................................. 71 4.11 Background Checks ........................................................................................................................... 71 4.12 Psychological Tests............................................................................................................................ 74 4.13 Fingerprinting...................................................................................................................................... 74 4.14 Photographing .................................................................................................................................... 75 4.15 Subcutaneous Identification Devices ................................................................................................. 75 4.16 Email Usage ....................................................................................................................................... 75 4.17 California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018........................................................................................... 75 5. Litigation Issues ............................................................................................................ 80 5.1 Special Rules for California Jury Trial ................................................................................................ 80 5.2 California’s Hostility to Arbitration of Employment Disputes .............................................................. 81 5.3 Hostility to Employer Mandated Forum Selection and Choice of Law ............................................... 96 5.4 Public Policy Claims for Wrongful Employment Actions .................................................................... 97 5.5 Claims for Breach of Contract of Continued Employment................................................................ 100 5.6 Claims for Breach of Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing ......................................... 102 5.7 Limited Effectiveness of Common Defenses and Procedural Devices ............................................ 102 5.8 Defamation Claims ........................................................................................................................... 107 5.9 Misrepresentation Claims ................................................................................................................. 109 5.10 Employer Liability for Employee Torts.............................................................................................. 109 5.11 Employment Discrimination Litigation .............................................................................................. 110 5.12 Anti-Employer Rules Regarding Attorney Fees and Costs .............................................................. 112 5.13 Unfair Competition Claims................................................................................................................ 114 5.14 The Wage and Hour Class Action Explosion ................................................................................... 114 5.15 PAGA Civil Penalty Claims for Labor Code Violations..................................................................... 119 5.16 “The Life Unlitigated is Not Worth Living”......................................................................................... 126 5.17 Special Protections for Unauthorized Workers ................................................................................ 128 5.18 Employer’s Attorney-Client Privilege ................................................................................................ 130 5.19 Limits to Protection for Attorney Work Product ................................................................................ 130 5.20 Employer’s Obligation to Withhold Taxes Due on Damages Judgment .......................................... 131 5.21 Can Employees Seeking Unpaid Wages Bring Tort Claims? .......................................................... 131