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Scott C. Lacunza is a principal in the Orange County, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His practice focuses on defending employers in all aspects of state and federal employment law.

Scott’s practice concentrates on California-based wage and hour class action litigation and PAGA representative enforcement actions, and he has defended over 80 such matters for employers of all sizes over the past 20 years. In addition, Scott has extensive experience litigating discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, retaliation, and breach of contract lawsuits. Scott also advises clients regarding day-to-day workplace legal issues.

California employment laws are exhaustive and comprehensive compliance may serve to be challenging for employers, especially when taking into account the patchwork of local ordinances pertaining to minimum wage, paid sick leave, and more.

At the minimum, employers doing business in the City of San Diego (City) should be aware of and in compliance with

In Kim v. Reins International California, Inc. 18 Cal.App.5th 1052 (2017), the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District held an employee-plaintiff that settled and dismissed his individual claims was no longer an “aggrieved employee” for purposes of standing to bring a claim for civil penalties under the Private Attorneys General Act

Last year, the California Supreme Court held the federal “de minimis” doctrine does not apply to California state law claims for unpaid wages for off-the-clock work allegedly performed on a regularly occurring basis in store closing and related activities. Troester v. Starbucks Corp., 5 Cal. 5th 829. However, the California Supreme Court also noted that

Unionized employers in the construction industry can potentially receive some well-needed relief from California’s Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (Labor Code Section 2698 et seq.), known as “PAGA,” in light of the Governor signing AB 1654. Unionized employers in California must review their collective bargaining agreements and evaluate whether they can take