California Labor Code Section 1102.5(b) prohibits employers from retaliating against “whistleblowing” employees for disclosing information about suspected violations of law to a person with authority over the employee or another employee who has the authority to investigate, discover, or correct the violation. Previously, California courts interpreted the term “disclosure” to require the revelation of something new, which effectively removed whistleblower protection for an employee who reported a violation that was already known to the employer. This week, the California Supreme Court expanded whistleblower protection to include an employee’s report of a violation or suspected violation of the law regardless of whether the employer already knew of the violation.
In People ex rel. Garcia-Brower v. Kolla’s Inc., a bartender at a nightclub in Orange County complained to the club’s owner about unpaid wages for her previous three shifts. The club’s owner responded by terminating the bartender’s employment and threatening to report her to immigration authorities. The bartender filed a complaint against the nightclub and its owner with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). After the nightclub refused to accept the DLSE’s proposed remedies, the Labor Commissioner sued the club for various violations of the Labor Code, including retaliation in violation of Section 1102.5(b).
The trial court and appellate court ruled against the Labor Commissioner on the Section...
The Dangote Group has dismissed as false and malicious claims of a rift between its President, Aliko Dangote, and the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, and also rejected allegations that h...