On April 4, 2023, Judge Mary Strobel of the Los Angeles County Superior Court denied a petition for writ of mandate filed by the California Hospital Association and Robert Vlach seeking to prevent a voter initiative regarding healthcare executives’ pay from reaching the ballot.

On January 18, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the validity of a Culver City ordinance giving workers at Southern California Hospital at Culver City a $5 per hour temporary pay increase in recognition and compensation for their work during the COVID pandemic, affirming the District Court’s order dismissing the Hospital’s claims.

The Ninth Circuit heard argument Monday in an appeal by Southern California Hospital at Culver City, which appealed from an order dismissing the Hospital’s legal challenge to a Culver City ordinance that entitled workers at the Hospital to a $5 per hour temporary pay increase in recognition and compensation for their work providing vital health care services to the community during the pandemic. As noted in a Law360 article, the panel “pressed” counsel for the Hospital regarding its arguments that the ordinance is preempted by the National Labor Relations Act or acted as a substantial impairment of the Hospital’s contracts with unions or staffing companies.

Mary Bortscheller will join to the panel in the Session 1 “Litigation Update” at the ABA Virtual Employee Benefits Spring Update 2024 on April 17, 2024, from 12:00 PM ET to 1:00 PM ET. The panel will discuss ERISA class action litigation. For registration and more information, click here.

Nina Wasow will participate in a panel entitled “Agency Announcements and Guidance: ESG, Secure 2.0, Fiduciary Rule” on Friday, February 2 at the ABA Employee Benefits Committee Midwinter Meeting in San Diego.

We are delighted to announce that Mary Bortscheller joined FJWW as Of Counsel on December 4, 2023.