Although the California sick leave law (Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014) took effect in July of this year, employers are already anxious for clarification on its practical application. In mid-July, certain issues were clarified through urgency legislation amendments (addressed in our previous newsletter). On August 7, in an opinion letter, the Labor Commissioner issued an employee-friendly interpretation of the legislation as it applied to employees who work 10-hour shifts.

The August 5th Buy Sell Report includes an article by Robert D. Daniels and Gus N. Paras of The Scali Law Firm, providing an overview of how title provisions are handled in real estate purchase agreements, or “REPAs,” with a focus on the seller’s warranty of title, the buyer’s approval of title, and title insurance.

Don't miss the Legal Minute article on page 22 of this months West Coast Dealer Magazine, published for the Independent Automobile Dealers Association of California.

Today, the California Supreme Court has issued its long-awaited ruling in the case of Sanchez v. Valencia Holding Company LLC with respect to the arbitration clause in the Form 553 CA ARB retail installment sale contract.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has again targeted automobile dealers for allegedly deceptive advertising. If you are familiar with the CNCDA’s 2015 Advertising Law Manual, authored by The Scali Law Firm, you already know that the FTC and other regulators are targeting dealers nationwide over advertising violations and your best bet is compliant advertising.

As anticipated, the California legislature has attempted to clean-up some loose ends left by the original paid sick leave law (AB 1522) which took effect on July 1^st. Although these changes may ultimately create some additional questions, it does provide clarity in some areas where employers were left guessing. Moreover, these changes provide some additional options and flexibility for certain elements of compliant policies.

This year has been busy for us. In addition to adding a San Diego presence, we moved our Los Angeles office, though not far.

In April, after retiring from his partnership, Robert D. Daniels joined The Scali Law Firm, Of Counsel, to continue to mentor young associates, assist Mr. Scali in handling the firm’s litigation and F&I compliance programs and advice and counsel.

The Scali Law Firm is pleased to announce that it’s own Dominique Nasr was selected by Super Lawyers Magazine as a 2015 Rising Star in the legal field of Employment and Labor.

Phishing techniques have become much more sophisticated, with hackers doing reconnaissance on their victims, targeting those in your organization that have access to confidential financial information or non-public, private information of customers. They cull data from the Internet and social media sites, such as LinkedIn, for tidbits of personal and professional information that can be used in making phishing emails look legitimate. They know where their victims work, whom they do business with, the names of their bosses, and email addresses. The tactic is called spear-phishing.  How do you protect against it?