Top Wage-and-Hour Violations Southern California Workers Are Suing Over in 2025

How your employer pays you and what they pay you for is strictly governed by federal and state law. If your employer has violated your legal rights by underpaying you or forcing you to work additional time, a Los Angeles County wage and hour attorney at Skapik Law Group can fight for your rights in court.

California workers frequently file lawsuits against their employers for wage and hour violations. While unpaid overtime is often the most common form of lawsuit, employees have also been filing lawsuits for other types of violations recently. In many cases, employers have broken the law in multiple ways, and you can hold them accountable.

The first step towards getting the money that you deserve for the work that you have done is to schedule a free initial consultation with a Los Angeles County wage and hour lawyer at Skapik Law Group by calling us at (909) 398-4404. We can file a lawsuit on your behalf after learning more about the facts of your case.

As an employee, you do not have to simply allow your employer to break the law because you believe that they are more powerful than you. Both federal and California law give you the right to file a lawsuit. In some cases, your employer may even be ordered to pay trouble damages for knowing violations of certain pay rules. Here are some recent examples of wage and hour violations that have played a part in lawsuits filed in California courts.

Outside of classification cases, it is rare that an employer would limit their violations of wage and hour laws to just one wrongful action. An employer who has a pattern of mistreating and underpaying employees would likely commit several illegal actions. In the lawsuits cited below, each employer was accused of multiple instances of misconduct.

Unpaid Overtime

One of the main requirements of federal and California law is that non-exempt employees must be paid time and a half overtime when they work more than 40 hours in a given week. Unpaid overtime is perhaps the most common type of wage and hour violation that employers commit. In December 2025, Cox Communications was sued in California. Among the many alleged violations in the lawsuit was that they failed to compensate employees with time and a half pay for overtime. Staples was sued in California court earlier in the year on the same grounds.

Forced to Work off the Clock

Employers cannot force you to perform unpaid work when you are off the time clock. All work-related activities must be on the time clock, and accordingly you must be compensated for them. In a recent lawsuit, Southern California Edison Company was sued for forcing employees to remain on the job working after their paid shifts had ended. You may file a lawsuit for forced work off the clock when you are required to perform certain tasks to prepare for or end your day after your paid time. Every minute that you work must be paid.

Meal and Rest Break Violations

California law requires employees to receive certain rest breaks during their work day. They must be compensated for these breaks because it is a part of their paid time. Some employers may break the law by either denying employees breaks entirely, or forcing them to work during their scheduled break time. If an employee misses a scheduled break due to job responsibilities, their employer must compensate them. In September 2025, a group of California employees filed a class action lawsuit against a staffing and services company because their break plan allegedly violated California labor laws.

Misclassification of Independent Contractors

California has strict laws that govern when a worker is allowed to be classified as an independent contractor. Companies have an incentive to aggressively designate workers as independent contractors because they do not have to pay a minimum wage, nor do they have to provide other job benefits. However, to properly classify a worker as an independent contractor, they must meet each prong of the “ABC Test” which has been codified in legislative bill AB5.  Notwithstanding the new law, companies are still continuing to wrongfully deny workers employee status. For example, a case was recently filed in San Francisco Superior Court alleging that Scale AI misclassified thousands of workers.

Contact a Los Angeles County Wage and Hour Law Firm

You can level the playing field against an employer that presents itself as having more power than you by speaking to a Los Angeles County wage and hour lawyer at Skapik Law Group. We offer free consultations to prospective clients, and you can schedule one by visiting our website or by calling us today at (909) 398-4404.