News

Hunter Pyle Law is proud to announce that three of our four attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers in 2018.  (The fourth , Vince Chen, is not far behind!)  More details to follow….

Hunter Pyle will present as part of Bridgeport’s 2018 PAGA seminar.  The formal announcement follows:

In California, the Private Attorneys General Act PAGA poised to become the next “it” claim in wage and hour litigation? This program will explore the ever changing PAGA landscape, offering practitioner insight into how best to prepare for the anticipated uptick of representative action litigation.

Procedural Issues and Nuts and Bolts of PAGA – this panel will provide a full picture of what PAGA is, what violations give rise to PAGA liability, how PAGA claims are brought and litigated, and what remedies are available through PAGA.  The panel will describe:  the current procedure for exhausting a PAGA claim with the LWDA (including 2016 amendments); the potential involvement of the LWDA in investigating claims; the relationship between PAGA claims and class action principles; the state of the law on whether PAGA claims are “individual” or “representative” in nature; and how PAGA penalties are calculated.

PAGA trials – this panel will describe trial considerations unique to PAGA claims, including:  PAGA-only trials; PAGA claims tried in conjunction with class claims, along with related class definition questions; and how the “representative” nature of a PAGA claim plays out at trial.  The panel will survey examples of PAGA trials to date and identify open questions.

Settlement and Arbitration issues – this panel will discuss issues that arise when PAGA claims are subjected to motions to compel arbitration, including recent developments in the Ninth Circuit and California courts concerning “individual-only” arbitration clauses.  The panel will survey recent decisions by courts splitting PAGA and non-PAGA claims, and compelling the non-PAGA claims to arbitration.  The panel will discuss aspects of settlement of PAGA claims, including:  a comparison of the settlement approval process to the more familiar class action settlement approval process; and the valuation of PAGA penalties for purposes of alternative dispute resolution and, subsequently, court settlement approval.

Faculty:
Anne Cherry Barnett, Polsinelli LLP
William Jhaveri-Weeks,Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho
Keith Chrestionson, Fox Rothschild LLP
Andrew Livingston, Orrick
Hunter Pyle, Hunter Pyle Law (invited)
Catha Worthman, Feinberg Jackson Worthman & Wasow
Todd Jackson, Feinberg Jackson Worthman & Wasow

This program is approved for 4.5 hrs of CA MCLE general credt hours.

Hunter will be honored at a Champion of Justice at the 2018 National Lawyers Guild San Francisco Testimonial Dinner.  The formal announcement is below:

Please join us on April 14, 2018, at 6 p.m., at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for the annual NLGSF Testimonial Dinner.  We are coming together this year to Unite in Resistance against Trump and his racist, sexist, and xenophobic agenda.  The NLGSF, our members, and our allies are an essential part of this fight.  Be it in the streets, the courtroom, or the community, we are there to fight for justice

The testimonial Dinner is our opportunity to celebrate our work and highlight the tireless efforts of our community.

This year we are honoring Linda Fullerton and Hunter Pyle as our Champions of Justice.  April Martin is our Unsung Hero and the Anti Police-Terror Project will be recognized as our Partner in Liberation.  This is also a great chance to meet our new Executive Director, Jay Kim, and celebrate our outgoing Director, Cat Brooks.

Please buy your tickets today!

Please place an ad to recognize our honorees and the work of the NLGSF!

Hunter Pyle will be teaching a new class at Berkeley Law in Spring 2018:  an advanced seminar on California Wage and Hour Law.

Hunter, along with co-teacher Todd Jackson of Feinberg Jackson Worthman & Wasow, LLP, was asked to teach this class after three years of teaching the Employment Law course to second and third year law students.  The class will cover both substantive and procedural aspects of California wage and hour law, with a particular focus on the most recent developments in the field.  Hunter and Todd are looking forward to developing a syllabus that is practical enough that law students who take the course will be able to hit the ground running after graduation.

Hunter Pyle and Chad Saunders will be giving a two part lecture series at the Bernard E. Witkin Law Library (also known as the Alameda County Law Library) located at 125 12th Street in Oakland.  For information about attending, please contact Emily Bergfeld at emily.bergfeld@acgov.org.

Hunter Pyle was quoted in a recent article in the Daily Journal, California’s leading legal newspaper. The article, published on August 17, 2017, is titled “9th Circuit says inaccurate personal data satisfy standing for fair credit act suit.”  It involves the recent decision in Robins v. Spokeo, 2017 DJDAR 7859.  That case addresses the types of injuries that a person must sustain in order to have standing to sue in federal court.

The following day, August 18, 2017, Mr. Pyle published an article in the Daily Journal regarding the same topic.  That article is titled “Questions left open in new Spokeo decision.”  It analyzes the Spokeo decision in some detail, and discusses the issues to be resolved in its wake.

On August 10, 2017, Hunter Pyle will speak in San Francisco at a day long program for attorneys titled “Using Expert Witnesses to Win Employment Cases.”  This program is presented by the State Bar of California Labor & Employment Law Section.  Mr. Pyle will participate in the panel regarding “Live Deposition and Trial Demonstration:  Human Resources and Investigations.”  His co-panelists are Amy Oppenheimer of HR Practices and Investigations and Theodora Lee of Littler Mendelson, PC.

On May 8, 2017, the California issued an opinion regarding Labor Code sections 551 and 552, which require employers to allow employees to have one day’s rest per workweek.

California Employment Lawyers Association, or CELA, is celebrating its 30th year in 2017.  CELA is an amazing organization that is dedicated to protecting the rights of workers throughout the state.  HP Law is proud to be a sponsor of CELAbrate@30, which will take place on Friday, October 20, 2017, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Oakland Marriott.  For more information, email contact@fair-foundation.org.

On May 12, 2017, at 12:45 pm, Hunter Pyle will be moderating and speaking on a panel entitled, “Fool’s Errand or Fish in a Barrel?  Piece Rate, Commission, and Trucking Cases in 2017.”  This panel is part of the 2017 Advanced Wage & Hour Seminar presented by the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA).  The other panelists joining him are Jannah Manansala, of Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld, and Michael Boyamian of the Law Offices of Thomas Falvey.  The panel will explore recent developments in the wage and hour laws that apply to piece rate and commission employees, as well as the threats that such workers face under the Trump Administration.  It will take place in Glendale, California, at the Hilton Glendale.