PAGA is a unique law in California.[1] It allows employees, typically through private practice attorneys, to sue on behalf of the state of California’s attorney general. These types of actions can be combined with lawsuits seeking other remedies, such as the recovery of unpaid wages.[2]
This series examines trends in PAGA-related filings and how trends are changing. The goal of this series of articles is to explore the data and documents gathered by the state of california and see what has happened year-over-year.
In our first installment,[3] we discussed the general changes to PAGA that took effect in June 2024. We noted that these changes lowered penalties and allowed companies a longer horizon to remediate. In addition to a spike in filings before June 2024, the overall trend appears to show a continued increase in PAGA filings. This installment will focus on the past year and what is happening by industry classification.
An analysis of California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) case filings shows 8,762 distinct PAGA cases noticed in the 12 months ended June 2026, compared to 8,971 in the prior 12 months and 9,437 in the 12 months immediately preceding the June 2024 reform. The pace works out to about 34 new PAGA notices per workday for the past year. There was an approximate 2.3% decrease over last year, and an approximate 7.2% decrease since the 2024 reforms. Although this seems like a steady...
Jang, in his 40s, who also runs a beauty salon and works as an insurance planner, registered himself as a caregiver for insured A, an insurance customer, in April. Afterwards, Jang filed a documen...