This special compilation episode, programmed specifically for attendees of this year's CAALA convention in Las Vegas, considers three prominent California Supreme Court rulings from the past few months. Each of the segments aired previously on the regular, weekly version of the Weekly Appellate Report.
The first segment regards
Sandquist v. Lebo Automotive, which determined that arbitrators could rightly decide class certification questions, where employment contracts were unclear. Rex Heinke (Akin Gump) will consider the implications of this decision, which split the court 4-3.
Next we'll hear from Don Willenburg (Gordon Rees), on the case of
Webb v. Special Electric, in which the state high court considered the sophisticated intermediary defense for the first time, in context of a raw materials liability case. There, the CASC reinstated a plaintiff jury verdict against a broker of particularly harmful asbestos.
Finally, Glenn Danas and Ryan Wu (Capstone Law APC) will discuss
Laffitte v. Robert Half Int'l, which recently reaffirmed the propriety of attorneys collecting fees as a percentage of a class action common fund recovery.
Don't forget an hour of CLE credit is available for your listening to the podcast (see link below); and, if you enjoy the program be sure to tune into the regular, weekly airing of the Weekly Appellate Report, which regards a wide range of salient appellate issues and trends.
