News

EMPLOYERS – BE CAREFUL ASKING FOR EMPLOYEE TO REFUND TO EMPLOYER

Stay-or-Pay Provisions Face Growing State-Level Regulation “Stay-or-pay” provisions—contract terms requiring employees to repay certain employer-incurred costs if they leave before a specified period—are receiving increased legal scrutiny. These provisions often relate to training expenses (TRAPs) and have expanded beyond high-skilled roles into lower-wage industries in recent years. Shifting Federal Landscape...

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Shared Enterprise Liability and Alter Ego Liability In California Law

Shared Enterprise Liability and Alter Ego Liability In California Law Corporate law begins with a premise that is both simple and fragile: entities are separate.  That premise does a great deal of work.  It allocates risk.  It encourages investment.  It allows complex organizations to exist without collapsing into a single...

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DEAR CLIENT – YOUR ChatGPT AND OTHER AI CAN DOOM YOUR CASE

Talking and corresponding with your attorney is shielded from discovery by the opposing counsel by the doctrine of attorney client privilege.  It is meant to allow and indeed, intended to encourage honest and full disclosure of the legal facts and analysis between client and counsel.  But what happens when the...

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LITIGATION HOLDS JUST GOT ENHANCED

LITIGATION HOLDS JUST GOT ENHANCED When someone files a lawsuit or begins an arbitration, the parties are supposed to place a hold on destroying any files about the matter, even tangentially related documents.  It is especially important for businesses that have automatic deletion of correspondence, video, documents or other items...

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TARIFF REFUNDS

TARIFF REFUNDS Supreme Court Invalidated Pres. Trump’s Authority To Impose Various Tariffs While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision invalidating tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) rejected Pres. Trump’s authority to impose those duties, it leaves unresolved a separate and potentially complex issue for businesses: how...

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DAWN M. COULSON NAMED SUPER LAWYER 2026

Epps & Coulson, LLP is proud to share some exciting news and well-deserved recognition for Dawn Coulson, who has been selected again as a 2026 Southern California Super Lawyer.  Congratulations to Dawn for 20 straight years of being awarded the honor by her peers and colleagues.  Dawn has been designated...

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CALIFORNIA ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS FOR EMPLOYEES LIMITED (AGAIN)

CALIFORNIA ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS FOR EMPLOYEES LIMITED (AGAIN) The recent California Court of Appeal decision of Villalobos v. Maersk held that the employer’s referring to arbitration rules in employee handbooks or agreements is insufficient to designate arbitrability questions to the arbitrator. Many agreements state that disputes will be handled under JAMS...

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