California Employment Law Blog
HR’s Big Mistakes: 5 California Employment Case Studies
Five actual Ruggles Law Firm matters show how written pay terms, leave records and witness testimony can expose weaknesses in an employer’s explanation—and why difficult facts cannot be ignored.
California Equal Pay After SB 642: Review Bonuses and Equity Before Year End
Matching salaries do not end an equal-pay inquiry. California’s 2026 rules expressly address compensation beyond base pay. Here is how to compare work, preserve records, and test the explanation before year-end decisions are finalized.
California Employee Training Records After SB 513: What a PIP or Termination File Should Show
Your employer says you were trained. The records should tell a more specific story. Learn how California employee training records can clarify a performance warning, PIP, or termination.
California Workplace Surveillance in 2027: New Limits on Bathroom Monitoring and AI Emotion Tracking
A guide to California’s 2027 workplace surveillance laws, including bathroom monitoring, AI emotion tracking, exceptions, and records employees should keep.
Forced Unpaid Leave in California: What Smith Means for Disability Accommodation
A closer look at Smith v. Burbank Unified School District, California’s disability-accommodation rules, and the evidence that matters when an employer requires unpaid leave.
California’s 2027 Salary Threshold: When a Salaried Employee Is Still Owed Overtime
Learn how California’s 2027 salary threshold, salary-basis rules, and actual job duties affect overtime eligibility, and which pay and time records to review.
California Stay-or-Pay Agreements: What Changed in 2026
How to Negotiate a Better Severance Package in California: 5 Strategies That Can Change the Offer
Dear Employer: My Suggestions For Avoiding Liability
10 California Employment Law Mistakes—and 35 Employer Liability FAQs By Matthew J. Ruggles, California employment lawyer | Last reviewed September 6, 2026 I spent approximately 25 years defending employers before I began representing California employees. That...
Executive Severance in California: 12 Questions Every Executive Should Ask
How to Evaluate, Negotiate, and Protect Your Pay, Equity, Benefits, and Career Before You Sign By Matthew J. Ruggles Top 12 Questions California Executives Ask About Severance If you are a California executive holding a severance agreement, you probably have two...
Complete Guide to Employee Leaves of Absence in California
Understanding California Employee Leave Rights, Benefits, and Job Protections By Matthew J. Ruggles Introduction: California Leave Law Is a System, Not a Single Rule A California employee who says, “I need a leave of absence,” is usually asking at least four different...
My Coworker Lied About Me: False Workplace Accusations in California and What Employees Can Do
How to Protect Your Job, Reputation, and Legal Rights During a California Workplace Investigation By Matthew J. Ruggles Being falsely accused at work is one of the fastest ways for an ordinary workday to turn into a career emergency. A coworker may say you harassed...
Workplace Investigations in California: Employee Rights Before, During, and After an HR Investigation
What California Employees Need to Know Before, During, and After an HR Investigation By Matthew J. Ruggles The Direct Answer: What Rights Does a California Employee Have During an Internal Investigation? The practical answer A California employer...
AI Layoffs in California: Employee Rights When Algorithms Help Decide Who Gets Fired
When AI Layoff Decisions Violate California Employee Rights By Matthew J. Ruggles Most layoffs used to be blamed on budgets, reorganizations, or the familiar corporate phrase 'changing business needs.' Now the explanation may arrive wearing a lab coat and calling...
Sexual Harassment Retaliation in California: 5 Case Studies Showing When Harassment Becomes Retaliation—and When It Does Not
When Sexual Harassment Turns Into Workplace Retaliation in California By Matthew J. Ruggles An employee reports sexual comments, unwanted touching, repeated invitations, or a supervisor’s conduct at a work event. The original behavior may stop. Then a different...
Can Harassment Be Retaliation Under California Law?
By Matthew J. Ruggles When Workplace Hostility Crosses the Line Into Illegal Retaliation Your workplace changed after you complained. Meetings became colder. Your manager started correcting you in public. Coworkers who once shared information now somehow forgot to...
California Severance Agreements: What Employees Should Know Before Signing
A Practical Guide to Reviewing and Negotiating Severance in California By Matthew J. Ruggles Executive Severance Is Not a Thank-You Card A severance agreement usually arrives at one of the most uncomfortable moments in a person's professional life. You may be a...
Complete Guide to California Tech Layoff Severance, RSUs, and Executive Compensation
For executives, C-suite officers, managers, engineering leaders, sales leaders, and equity-compensated California tech employees facing layoffs By Matthew J. Ruggles If you are a California tech employee facing a layoff, the severance agreement sitting in your...
The Complete Guide to California Commission Disputes: Unpaid Commissions, Chargebacks, Windfall Clauses, Commission Plans, and Employee Rights
What California Employees Should Know About Unpaid Commission Disputes By Matthew J Ruggles Why Commission Disputes Matter in California A California commission dispute usually begins with a simple sentence: "This cannot be right." The employee closed the deal. The...
The Complete Guide to Disability Discrimination and Failure to Accommodate for California Employees
Everything California Employees Need to Know About Disability Discrimination, the Interactive Process, Reasonable Accommodation, Medical Leave, and Wrongful Termination Disability Discrimination Is Rarely About the Disability Here's one of the biggest misconceptions...
How to Negotiate a Severance Package in California
Top 5 Opportunities, Top 5 Mistakes, and the Strategies Executives Use to Maximize Their Severance By Matthew J. Ruggles "The biggest mistake employees make during severance negotiations isn't asking for too much. It's assuming they have nothing to negotiate." You...
Fired With a Severance Agreement? Here’s What Changes When a Lawyer Gets Involved
Why Severance Negotiations Change Once an Employment Lawyer Enters the Room By Matthew J Ruggles You’ve just been terminated. Maybe it was framed as a “restructuring.” Maybe it was called a “performance” decision. Maybe the meeting lasted ten minutes, ended with a...
California Commission Clawbacks and Windfall Policies
Protected Activity in California Retaliation Cases: What Counts?
If you were fired, demoted, written up, or suddenly treated differently after speaking up at work, you are probably asking whether you were retaliated against. The answer often turns on a technical but critical issue: whether you engaged in protected activity in...
Fired for a False Reason in California? When Employer Lies Become Wrongful Termination
By Matthew J. Ruggles You were fired. That’s hard enough. Then it gets worse. Your employer tells you that you were terminated “for cause.” They claim you violated policy. They suggest misconduct. They hint at performance failures that never happened. Now you are not...
Sexual Harassment Without Witnesses in California: Can You Sue Your Employer?
By Matthew J. Ruggles One of the most common things employees say when they contact an employment lawyer about sexual harassment without witnesses is this: “It was just me and them. I don’t think I can prove it.” That belief stops many valid cases before they ever...
How to Negotiate RSU Acceleration in California Severance Agreements
If you are trying to negotiate RSU acceleration in California, the first thing you will usually hear is that forfeiture is automatic and non-negotiable. That statement is often delivered confidently, usually by HR, and often right before a severance agreement is...
Reported a Safety Complaint at Work and Then Got Fired in California?
If you reported a safety complaint at work in California and were then written up, disciplined, or fired, you are not alone. This sequence shows up in real workplaces far more often than most employees expect. Someone raises concerns about unsafe conditions....
Laid Off With RSUs in California: When Lost Equity Creates Severance Leverage
If you were laid off with RSUs in California, the first thing you probably heard was some version of this: “Unvested equity is forfeited. There’s nothing we can do.” For many employees, that statement comes right before a severance agreement lands in their inbox and a...
When Do You Have Legal Leverage to Negotiate a Bigger Severance Package in California?
Most California employees hear the same script when they are laid off or terminated: “This is our standard severance.” “It’s not negotiable.” “This is the best we can do.” Sometimes that is true. More often, it is positioning. In California, there is generally no...