RECENT POSTS
Help for Food Service: Restaurant Revitalization Fund Grant Program
Restaurants have been severely impacted by COVID-19 because of permanent and temporary shutdowns that eliminated or reduced revenue, and the increased costs that many operators incurred to bolster take-out and delivery sales and accommodate a
Franchise 101: Is Matco the Next Jan-Pro? and No Legal Cure for Serial Defaults
Franchisor 101: Is Matco the Next Jan-Pro? A federal court in California certified a class of Matco Tools franchisees who claimed to be misclassified by Matco as independent contractors rather than employees. They claimed Matco
COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave to be Expanded Under California’s SB 95
The California Legislature just approved Senate Bill 95 which, once signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, will dramatically expand COVID-19 supplemental paid-sick leave. The bill was sent to the governor on March 18, 2021 and is
California’s DFEH Issues Guidance on Mandating Vaccine
Following the one-year mark after the start of the pandemic, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) updated its COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions to include long-awaited guidance regarding mandatory vaccinations, among other COVID-19 workplace-related
New Revenue Rule Affects Franchisors
An updated rule issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) will again change when most franchisors can recognize revenue in their financial statements from the sale of their franchises and their collection of initial franchise fees.
California Employers, a Well-Rounded Time-Keeping Policy is No Longer Good Policy
Once in a while, the California Supreme Court makes a ruling which declares unlawful an employment practice previously perceived as lawful. Today, the California Supreme Court in Donohue v. AMN Services, LLC held that rounding
Franchise 101: Court Delivers Liquidated Damages; and Convenience Store Pays for Inconvenience
Franchisor 101: Court Delivers Pizza Franchisor Liquidated Damages The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed a $2.6 million award of liquidated damages in favor of a pizza franchisor and a summary judgment order enforcing
California Extends Protections for Residential Tenants to June 30, 2021
In August 2020 Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020. Among other protections, the law gave tenants who were unable to pay rent due to COVID-19-related distress for the
Franchise 101: California’s Dynamex/ABC Test is Retroactive; and No Excuse for Late Notice
January 28, 2021 Franchisor 101: California’s Dynamex/ABC Test is Retroactive In 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the ABC Test announced in a California Supreme Court decision, Dynamex Operations
Is Franchising In the Crosshairs of Federal Regulators and Legislators?
The Feds may be targeting franchising. In September 2020, Rohit Chopra, one of the five commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), declared on Twitter that “[franchise] regulators must stop unfair, deceptive, and discriminatory practices