The Watkins Firm has decades of experience with San Diego employer defense in PAGA actions such as employee related litigation related to wage and hour disputes, unpaid overtime,  or other employee-related allegations.  Employee disputes cascade through the organization and impact the operations of business at multiple levels.  As a business owner or manager it is important to aggressively defend yourself against allegations of wrong doing by employees.

These cases are extremely fact specific, and the Watkins Firm has a strong record of success defending employers and business owners – even when the client themselves thought their chances were poor.  Actions taken and behavior is one thing.  A sound legal strategy backed by substantial documentation and legal skill can rebuff most employee actions.

San Diego employer defense in PAGA actions begins with strong employment contracts.  We help our clients to develop strong policies and procedures and implement consistent documented practices for all areas of employment from the hiring process through onboarding, training, wage and hour documentation, performance evaluation, disciplinary procedures and ultimately termination.  We work with our clients to ensure best practices in all area of employee related business matters to prevent employee lawsuits backed by plaintiff’s lawyers which can result in expensive investigations, hearings and ultimately judgments.

Pro-Tip: “We represent employers. So we’re always trying to do whatever we can to help our clients when it comes to this PAGA threat, which is active. And basically there’s a lot of plaintiff’s lawyers out there treating themselves as bounty hunters and going after these companies. And many of our clients didn’t realize this not only applies to their current employees, it also applies to former employees.  

The Courts just came out with a recent decision that says that the employee doesn’t even have to continue to work there, that they can still sue you and act as a class representative. And they can draw people into the class that used to be there who are no longer even working for you.

There are all kinds of rules and regulations on what they can’t do and what we can’t do in defending it and how we approach that. And every case is different and every settlement and every resolution is different. It’s a different kind of beast. The Judge gets involved. All the attorneys get involved. You have to make sure you’re fair to the people that are part of the class. So it’s very complicated and how you handle it in the beginning and throughout the case is important. You can’t just hire a lawyer to go out there and be really aggressive and expect a great result. All you’re going to end up with is a higher bill and higher risk, and nobody being scared away. – Dan Watkins, Founding Partner

The Watkins Firm helps you as an employer to stand up to employee threats, PAGA actions, agency inquiries and lawsuits while maintaining a legal position which does not cross the line into retaliation or harassment.

If you are looking for seasoned, proven and experienced attorneys with a successful history of San Diego employer defense in PAGA actions and employee disputes we invite you to review our podcast Episode 18 – Private Attorneys General Act as well as the strong recommendations of our clients and contact the Watkins Firm or call 858-535-1511 for a complimentary consultation today.

We will share results from cases just like yours, and help you to understand and implement the strategies that will help to ensure the best possible outcome in your case.