In a blow to employers, the California Supreme Court ruled July 13, 2017, that employers can be required to turn over statewide employee information to allow a plaintiff to discover information about other potentially “aggrieved” employees in a Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) action.
The PAGA statute allows private citizens to sue on behalf of the state for violations of California wage and hour laws and allows the recovery of
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substantial penalties for proven violations. In the Williams v. Superior Court case, the Supreme Court unanimously held that a PAGA plaintiff is entitled to the same discovery regarding other employees as a Plaintiff in a wage and hour class action.
This decision could make it exponentially more expensive for employers to defend themselves against PAGA litigation.
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