California - Whistleblowers

On December 15, 2025, the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, issued a published decision in Contreras v. Green Thumb Produce, Inc. , reversing a trial court’s grant of judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV) in favor of the employer defendant in a whistleblower retaliation an

Courts Clarify California Whistleblower Law Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court provided helpful guidance on whistleblower retaliation cases. The Court of Appeal addressed who is a prevailing party entitled to fee and cost recovery under Labor Code section 1102.5

The new year is just around the corner, and that means that employers in California need to prepare for a host of new labor and employment law obligations that go into effect on January 1, 2025. One such obligation relates to the posting of a notice informing employees of their

Updated Whistleblower Notice In an earlier post, we mentioned that the sample notice detailing whistleblower protections posted by the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) contained a disclaimer stating that the DLSE “believes,” but cannot

By: California Labor Commissioner Publishes New Whistleblower Protection Posting In July 2024, Governor Newsom signed AB 2299 into law. AB 2299 enacted sections 98.11 and 1102.8 of the California Labor Code. Section 98.11 requires the California Labor Commissioner to create a model list of employees

In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court of California concluded that an employee’s disclosure about suspected violations of the law to the employer or a government agency is protected whistleblowing activity under California’s Labor Code, even when the disclosure relates to information already kno

Executive Summary: The California Supreme Court recently held that California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5(g), which protects health care workers and medical staff from discrimination and retaliation for reporting unsafe patient care and conditions, does not provide a right to a jury trial.

An employer is prohibited from retaliating against an employee who makes a complaint to a government or law enforcement agency under California law.

A California appellate court recently confirmed in Satyadi v. West Contra Costa Healthcare District that employees need not exhaust administrative remedies before pursuing most state Labor Code claims, even those accruing prior to the enactment of Labor Code § 244(a), which expressly states there is

The California Labor Code’s Section 1102.5(b) whistleblower protections are not limited to the first employee reporting alleged misconduct, the California Court of Appeal has ruled, affirming a judgment in favor of a deputy sheriff on his whistleblower retaliation claim. Hager v. County of Los Angel

California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed Assembly Bill No. 2751 (AB 2751) to amend a recently-enacted law that prohibits employers from retaliating against undocumented workers who engage in protected activity.