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Class Action Lawsuit Victories in California
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Harris & Kaufman
Law Firm Specialty |
Harris and Kaufman
labor law firm represents
employees in class action lawsuits against employers who have
illegally withheld wages or practiced workplace discrimination.
As labor attorneys, our class action cases involve overtime
pay and vacation pay for employees misclassified as "exempt." We
are experienced in wage dispute litigation and other California
class action cases and have taken such cases to trial.
Harris & Kaufman
can assist you when you believe that your employer has broken
the California Labor Laws. Even though we are a class action
law firm, we also litigate individual cases against employers.
When you need an aggressive and experienced California class
action attorney, look no further than Harris & Kaufman. We
will protect your rights under California employment and labor
laws.
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Our Class Action Lawsuit Practice
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Class action lawsuits involve
illegal practices or policies that have affected a number of
employees at your workplace. When you call Harris
& Kaufman, you'll receive the services of a California lawyer qualified
to represent you in state court and U.S. District Court. Trust Harris & Kaufman
to protect your rights in pay disputes, and other employment issues
like wrongful termination and racial discrimination.
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Circuit City Class Action Lawsuit
Victory
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In
a major victory for California employees of the national retailer
of electronics, a Court of Appeal ruled that Circuit City's
arbitration agreement could not be enforced. Harris &
Kaufman represents the plaintiff against Circuit City in an overtime
pay class action. In September 2004, the court found that the terms
of Circuit City's arbitration agreement were so one-side that it "shocked
the conscience".
Among the things, Circuit City's arbitration agreement
bound only the employee to arbitration, required the employee to pay
fees to Circuit City just for initiating the arbitration (Circuit City
pays no such fees), imposes a shortened statute of limitation on the
employee (and not on Circuit City), and prohibits class actions. The
court concluded that the
"central purpose of the agreement" was "tainted with
illegality". This ruling represents a major defeat for Circuit
City. Click
here to read
the entire text.
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U-Haul Class Action Lawsuit Victory |
In a case with major statewide
implications, Harris & Kaufman successfully represented the plaintiffs in
a class action for overtime pay against U-Haul International, Inc.
In Crandall v.s. U-Haul International, Inc., Harris & Kaufman,
with William E. Harris & Matthew A. Kaufman acting as lead
attorneys, represented 480 current and former employees, entitled "General
Managers," of U-Haul rental outlets. At trial, the employees
argued that the Phoenix-based company wrongly classified them as
exempt from overtime requirements of California law. The plaintiffs
claimed that they spent most of their work time engaged in sales
and the same work as the other non-management employees at the
stores. The court agreed with the plaintiffs, ruling that the evidence
did not show that the employees spent over 50% of their time engaged
in management work as required by state law.
U-Haul threw everything but the kitchen sink at the plaintiffs.
U-Haul spent millions of dollars in its defense by hiring four
law firms, an uncountable number of lawyers, and many high-priced
expert witnesses. Adding to U-Haul's resources, the California
Employment Law Counsel, an organization financed by big business,
also appeared as a party in the case and lobbied the court of
appeal and supreme court to intercede. Despite the financial
mismatch, Harris & Kaufman proved
their determination and that the employees were non-exempt by persuading
the trial judge to disregard U-Haul's arguments and rule on behalf
of the employees.
This is the first class action to go to trial on the issue of whether
managers spent over half their work time engaged in exempt work under
California law. The case, which was the subject of articles in Business
Week, CFO Magazine, The Los Angeles Times and The Los Angeles Daily
Journal, was closely followed by the employer's bar and lobby. The
result implicates the common practice throughout the state of classifying
as "exempt" employees who work on the sales
floors and production lines.
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Harris & Kaufman
Can Help You |
Harris and Kaufman is a Los Angeles area law firm
that's dedicated to representing employees in disputes against
their employers to do with class action lawsuits in California
State. Our lawyers can assist you if you believe that your employer
has broken the California Labor Law. Our employment attorneys are
experienced and have had numerous trials, arbitrations, and appeals
and have litigated on behalf of thousands of employees.
Harris & Kaufman has represented workers in state and federal
court and in administrative proceedings before the California Labor
Commissioner. Determined and aggressive, our cases include individual
disputes and class action lawsuits. Based in Sherman Oaks, California
we serve greater Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura County and
have cases statewide.
Think
you have a claim? Email
Here
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