• Search for:
    24Jul, 2023
    California to offer free legal aid to undocumented farmworkers

    SACRAMENTO – California farmworkers in state labor investigations will soon be able to access free legal services to safely report bad-acting employers, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

    In efforts to prevent labor exploitation, a new $4.5 million pilot program will ensure farmworkers can fend for their rights despite their immigration status with free case review services, legal advice and attorney representation.

    An estimated 50 percent of California’s farmworkers are undocumented, which leaves the workforce vulnerable to bad acting employers and disproportionately unlikely to report labor claims, said Newsom’s office.

    Newsom said that the program will provide more tools for farmworkers, so they no longer have to worry about the fear of deportation or difficulties finding work without work authorization during cases of exploitation.

    “Farmworkers are the backbone of our economy and we won’t stand by as bad actors use the threat of deportation as a form of exploitation,” said Newsom in a statement. “In the absence of Congress modernizing our broken, outdated immigration system, California continues our efforts to support immigrant families.”

    Since 2015, California has funded free immigration legal services through nonprofit partnerships. The California Labor & Workforce Development and the California Department of Social Services, which will oversee the pilot, will utilize existing resources to launch the program later this year. 

    To be eligible, farmworkers must be involved in cases under review by Department of Industrial Relations’ Labor Commissioner’s Office, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health or the Agricultural Labor Relations Board. Services will be available based on capacity and population estimates.

    “The time is now for us to ensure that immigrant labor rights are upheld and respected. We commend the state for supporting this pilot, which will help ensure that legal services are available and accessible through partnerships with trusted community-based organizations across California,” said

    … Read the rest
    28Nov, 2022
    Geico must face California class action claiming it overcharged on car insurance

    Oct 31 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday said a lawsuit accusing Geico Corp of overcharging more than 2 million California policyholders on car insurance early in the COVID-19 pandemic may proceed as a class action.

    U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman in San Jose, California, rejected Geico’s contention that a group lawsuit over the alleged inadequacy of its “Geico Giveback” program would create “insurmountable manageability problems.”

    Geico, part of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), said a class action would not sufficiently account for differences among policyholders, including the time periods they had insurance.

    The Chevy Chase, Maryland-based insurer also said it would be difficult to assess damages, isolate pandemic costs and adjust rates retroactively.

    But the judge said a class action was preferable to individual lawsuits, and the plaintiffs’ damages model “could present an appropriate percentage refund over a sufficiently long time” to address manageability concerns.

    Lawyers for Geico did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The plaintiffs’ lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests.

    Policyholders objected to Geico’s decision to provide $2.5 billion of credits, including 15% on renewals, starting in April 2020, reflecting how people were at the time driving and getting into accidents less often.

    They said Geico reaped a “windfall” because the credit fell “well short” of adequate given the lessened risks, and accused the insurer of falsely claiming that its credits provided “substantial and full relief.”

    Some insurers, including State Farm and Allstate Corp (ALL.N), offered pandemic-related refunds to policyholders.

    The class covers California residents who bought Geico car, motorcycle or RV insurance between March 1, 2020 and now.

    Geico is defending against a similar federal lawsuit in Chicago, and in May persuaded an appeals court in Manhattan to uphold a judge‘s dismissal of a similar lawsuit there.

    … Read the rest