"California Workers Gain Longer Back-Pay Window"

Today's Daily Journal reports here (subscription) on Murphy v. Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc., ___ Cal.4th ___ (Apr. 16, 2007), in which the Supreme Court unanimously held that "the remedy provided in Labor Code section 226.7 constitutes a wage or premium pay and is governed by a three-year statute of limitations." Slip op. at 1. And in an article called "California Justices Give Employees a Break on Wage Claims," today's Recorder reports that some management-side lawyers called the ruling "shocking." I don't think anyone publicly predicted the precise alignment of votes and reasoning that resulted in yesterday's ruling. Time permitting, I will have more on the decision later today.