As we reported earlier, the California Supreme Court has just come down with a landmark court decision regarding employee breaks and meal times. A friend of mine at Allen Matkins, a law firm that specializes in employment law, has just released a video which has a simple explanation of how this decision works. If you own a company that has employees, or if you are a manager of employees, you need to watch this video!

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Have you ever wondered what the rules are at work regarding when you can take a break? Well, the California Supreme Court just came down with a landmark decision that tells you exactly what you need to know. Considering this case just came down a few hours ago, here’s the shortest summary you will find: You are absolutely entitled to your breaks, but if you want to skip them and keep working your employer doesn’t have to make sure you stop working. My first impression is that employers will like this decision and employees will not like it.

The case is Brinker Restaurant Corp vs. Superior Court. Brinker is the company that owns 1,500 restaurants, including Chili’s, Maggiano’s Little Italy and Romano’s Macaroni Grill.  The case deals with both meal and rest periods.

For more about the case see these articles: Restaurant news.com,  S.F Business Times, Nation’s Restaurant News,  Civil Litigation Reporter

Be careful what you say when you go down for jury duty!

Susan Cole thought it would be funny to act like a crazy homeless person so that she wouldn’t have to serve on jury duty. Well, she got out of jury duty. But now she has been arrested and charged with first degree-perjury! See, she didn’t tell the court the truth (and that just seems like common sense!). 

Susan Cole was dumb enough to go on a local radio station and brag about how she got out of jury duty: “I decided not to put my makeup on and I put black eyebrows on. I put bright red lipstick on. I left my hair in my curlers and I put on a t-shirt that said ‘Ask Me About My Best-Seller,’ ” Cole said on KOA radio. “When they asked me about mental issues I got up and said, ‘Yeah, I have some mental issues.’ Then the judge said, ‘Does anyone care if she leaves?’ And everybody else said all at once in a great big voice, ‘No,’” she said.

Jury duty is very important. I know it’s a hassle, but we live in a county that has the greatest judicial system in the world. Sometimes cases don’t turn out the way we want them to, but at least we have a system where a person can be judged by a jury of other people, and specifically people that your lawyer gets to select. The alternative in some countries is a crazy dictator or warlord or some bureaucrat that has nothing in common with you and you don’t stand a chance at a fair hearing.

We all serve on jury duty. Next time you are called, go and be proud you live in a county where we have this right!

For more, check this out.

Walgreens faces a suit for wrongful death filed by the estate of Mary Moore.  The suit claims that a Walgreens pharmacist gave Mrs. Moore the wrong medication.  Her high blood pressure medication Hydralazine was mistakenly replaced with an anthihistamine, Hydroxyzine.  The suit claims that Hydroxyzine is a high risk medication for Moore’s conditions which include high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and kidney failure.  The medication mix-up went unnoticed for two weeks before the pharmacy was able to realize the mistake. Moore’s estate seeks compensation and punitive damages.

Click here for the full article & let us know what you think.

Do you know someone who has been the victim of the wrong medication?

Higher Legal can help you find the right attorney to represent you. Click here for more details.

Kenneth Chin, a 73 year old dementia patient, was dropped off at the wrong location, went missing for ten days, and was found dead a mile away from his home.  A lawsuit filed by an attorney for the family states that MEDSAM Enterprises, San Francisco Paratransit and Jewish Family and Children’s services (JFCS) as well as the shuttle driver, Eugene Pearlman, were negligent and are liable for elder abuse. 

Mr. Chin boarded the defendants shuttle van on February 24, 2011 and was supposed to be dropped off at his assisted living facility; however, the shuttle driver dropped him off at the wrong location. Due to Mr. Chin’s condition, the shuttle driver was required to walk Mr. Chin to the door of the facility.  Then, to make matters worse, JFCS was notified of Mr. Chin’s missing arrival, but failed to make any effort to find him.  By the time Mr. Chin’s family was notified, the day was ending and a downpour began, making searching very difficult.  Mr. Chin was tragically found dead ten days later off the side of a path.

Have you or someone you know been a victim of negligence or elder abuse? Do you know someone who has been a victim of wrongful death?

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