George Howard Jr. Quoted Regarding PAGA in Law360 Article on 2024 California Cases to Watch
George Howard Jr., a San Diego-based partner in the Quarles & Brady Labor & Employment Practice Group, was quoted in a Law360 article about California cases to watch in 2024. Howard shared his insight about the significance of how the state Supreme Court and lower courts will interpret California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) over the year ahead.
PAGA enables California workers to seek to enforce state labor laws by suing on behalf of themselves, other impacted workers and the state. He noted that one important consideration is the potential volume of cases in lower courts.
An excerpt:
Howard recalled that in recent years, the California Supreme Court has generally ruled against employers on a variety of legal questions.
"It's basically been a total wash for employers," he said.
But in 2024, he's waiting to see how the state high court decides Jorge Luis Estrada et al. v. Royalty Carpet Mills Inc., which raises the question whether trial courts may dismiss PAGA claims they find excessively resource-consuming. Howard noted that during oral arguments in November, the justices appeared to be concerned about trial court dockets and the manageability of their caseloads.
"I think they're very concerned with saddling trial judges with these PAGA cases," he said.