Chelsea L. Zwart | Chapman Glucksman - Publications

UPDATE – Court Rejects Uber’s Proposed $100 Million Settlement

Sep 30 2016

By: Chelsea L. Zwart
September 30, 2016

In May 2016, Chapman Glucksman Dean Roeb & Barger published an article entitled, “$100 Million Uber Settlement Maintains Classification of Drivers as Independent Contractors,” which discussed a potential $100 million settlement related to a class-action reclassification suit against the on-demand driver service, Uber, brought on behalf of its drivers. The settlement, if approved by the Court, would maintain classification of the drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, resulting in significant future savings to Uber.

The plaintiffs and the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency estimated that the Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) portion of the class action could result in civil penalties of over $1 billion for violations of the California Labor Code. However, the proposed settlement only allocated approximately $1 million to the PAGA claim. On August 18, 2016, Judge Edward Chen of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order rejecting the proposed settlement, stating that it “is not fair, adequate, and reasonable,” particularly given that the proposed settlement of the PAGA claim was only “.1% of its estimated full worth.”

Judge Chen commented that he expects his order to be appealed, and thus we will continue to monitor the case and provide updates as developments unfold.

Viability of Contractor’s Express Indemnity Claims are Not Dependent on Allegations In Underlying Third Party Actions

Sep 30 2016

By: Chelsea L. Zwart
September 30, 2016

On August 16, 2016, the First District California Court of Appeal held in Aluma Systems Concrete Construction of California v. Nibbi Bros. Inc. (2016) 2 Cal.App. 5th 620 that a general contractor’s demurrer to a subcontractor’s indemnity claim was erroneously sustained because (1) the allegations of underlying third-party lawsuits were not determinative of liability and (2) the subcontractor’s underlying claim for a worker’s compensation offset did not obviate the subcontractor’s indemnity claim.

$100 Million Uber Settlement Maintains Classification of Drivers as Independent Contractors

May 10 2016

By: Chelsea L. Zwart
May 10, 2016

Rideshare providers, such as the increasingly popular Uber and Lyft services, have been embroiled in employee misclassification lawsuits over the past few years, questioning whether their drivers are properly classified as employees or independent contractors.

It is not always clear when an individual is an employee or independent contractor in California. Rather, a variety of factors are analyzed in determining the appropriate classification, including: whether the individual (1) has the right to control how he/she performs the employment contract, (2) is customarily engaged in an independently established business, and (3) has control over the time and place the work is performed, supplies the tools used in the work, and performs work that requires a particular skill not ordinarily used in the employer’s scope of work. O’Connor v. Uber Technologies, Inc. (2015) 82 F.Supp.3d 1133, 1138-39.

New Rules for Objections

Mar 14 2016

By: Craig A. Roeb and Chelsea Zwart
Published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal – Download Article
February 22, 2016

Only two months in, 2016 has already experienced significant changes to the California’s statutory and common law. Not to be left out, objections have received their fair share of attention from the Legislature and courts as well. As objections are often required to preserve future rights, being well-versed in the current laws governing them is an imperative for all litigators. This presents a brief overview of recent developments on the topic.

Author - Chelsea L. Zwart