California Corporate Officers are Employees
This post discusses why – especially now that Assembly Bill No. 5 (AB-5) has taken effect – in California corporate officers are considered employees rather than independent contractors.
California Corporate Officers Employees by Statute
The starting point is California Unemployment Insurance Code Section 621. This Section states, in relevant part:
(more…)“Employee” means all of the following:
(a) Any officer of a corporation.
ABC Test for Employee Misclassification in California
This post discusses a recent decision by which the California Supreme Court adopted the so-called ABC Test for misclassification of employees as independent contractors.
The relevant case is Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court, decided on April 30, 2018. (more…)
Personal Cell Phone Use for Work Must be Reimbursed
California Court of Appeal for the Second District (Los Angeles)
This post discusses a 2014 case (Cochran v. Schwan’s Home Service, Inc.) which held that California employers must reimburse employees who use a personal cell phone for work.
Plaintiff Colin Cochran, as class representative, brought a class action lawsuit against Schwan’s Home Service (“Home Service”) on behalf of 1,500 service managers employed by Home Service. The suit sought, among other things, reimbursement of the managers’ work-related personal cell phone expenses. (more…)
Ridiculous Yelp Lawsuit Alleges Reviewers are Employees
Do you wonder why lawyers often have a bad reputation? If so, consider the ridiculous Yelp lawsuit alleging that Yelp’s reviewers are employees of the company.
Yelp is an online review site and local business search service. Consumers are encouraged to write reviews of, and rate their satisfaction with, various products and services.
Historically, controversies have concerned whether Yelp punishes businesses for not advertising on the site (which Yelp denies). More recently, business owners have complained about Yelp’s automated tools for removing false or inappropriate (e.g., paid) reviews based on unpublished criteria.
What Happens if the Board Doesn’t Approve My Stock Options?
This post is adapted from a question I answered on OnStartups. Q. I’ve been working for a large private company, and my offer letter said I would receive X number of options as long as the board approved it. It’s been a year and I’ve been stonewalled on the option plan. I’ve sent multiple emails to HR and the controller and the CFO. HR has gotten back to me, but their hands are tied. Can I send a letter and a check to the CFO with $100 to force the issue of exercising some amount of shares and determining the strike price that way?
A. Unfortunately, “subject to board approval” is a common contingency for stock option grants. At this point, I’m not sure there is much you can do about it.
Unpaid Interns: What You Need to Know
Many companies – especially startups – like the idea of using unpaid interns as free labor. This post discusses whether and how a California company can use unpaid interns.
Paid or Unpaid Interns vs. Employees
If individuals are interns under California law (as discussed below), then they need not be paid. Furthermore, they are not subject to other employment protections, because they are not employees.
If, on the other hand, individuals are determined to be employees, then they must be paid at least minimum wage.
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Accelerated Vesting may Mean Little if Your Employer is Acquired
This post is adapted from a question that I answered on Quora. Q. How can an acquirer make an employee with single-trigger vesting commit to a “lock-up” period to receive all his shares? Say you’re an engineer at a just-acquired startup with 0.5% of the old company, and your shares fully vested upon acquisition. The acquirer’s terms were that current employees get 50% of their payout up front, and 50% if they stay on board for 5 years. How is that possible, legally?
A. It is difficult to provide a definitive answer without looking at the relevant documents. However, I suspect that this situation is possible because 50/50 pertains to shares in the acquiring company rather than the acquired company.
In my experience, acquired companies will put some effort into converting employee equity interests directly into comparable interests in the acquiring company, but there is no guarantee this will happen.
So you may (I can’t be sure, not having reviewed the documents) have a choice: Keep your 0.5% fully-vested interest in the acquired company (which is likely to have little, if any, market value in the foreseeable future), or accept the 50/50 conversion to an equity interest in the acquiring company.
Dana H. Shultz, Attorney at Law? +1 510 547-0545? dana [at] danashultz [dot] com
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact a lawyer directly.
Which Financial Information Must a Private Company Provide to Employees with Vested Stock Options?
This post is based on a Quora question that I answered (Q and A are somewhat edited). Q. Which financial information must a private company provide to employees with vested stock options?
A. In California, Corporations Code Sections 1500 and 1501 specifies records that must be kept by each corporation. Shareholders’ rights to inspect records are set forth in Sections 1600 and 1601.
I know of no comparable statutory provisions with respect to holders of vested options, however. Unless the stock option plan grants you such rights, the easiest way for you to gain such rights would be to exercise your option with respect to one share and, then, exercise your rights as a shareholder.
Related post: Which Financial Information Must a Corporation Provide to its Shareholders?
Dana H. Shultz, Attorney at Law +1 510-547-0545 dana [at] danashultz [dot] com
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact a lawyer directly.
What Should We Put in an Employment Offer Letter?
From time to time, clients ask me to review their current form of employment offer letter.
As a result, I am writing this post. It is a summary of what I believe every offer letter should convey to the prospective employee from the business and legal perspectives.
Offer Letter Business Terms
From the business perspective, the letter should lay out the most important characteristics of the position: (more…)
Small-company CEOs Can Be Accused of Sexual Harassment, Too
Rita Risser
I am especially pleased to welcome Rita Risser as a guest writer – not just because her post about sexual harassment is this blog’s first guest post, but because I have had the pleasure of knowing, and staying in touch with, Rita ever since we met at Boalt Hall.
As CEO of a small company, you may imagine that the recent resignation of HP’s CEO has no relevance to you and your organization. Think again.
Whenever employees or contractors are let go, they are more likely to bring claims for harassment, whistle-blowing and more. The worse the economy, the less likely they are to find other jobs and the more incentive they have to pursue alternative sources of income through lawsuits.
Another Reason Why Employees Should Not Disclose Their Passwords
Their are obvious security-related reasons why businesses do not want employees to give their computer passwords the third parties. With the recent decision in Multiven v. Cisco Systems, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has given us a legal reason, as well.
Peter Alfred-Adekeye (“Adekeye”), a former Cisco engineer, left Cisco to form plaintiff Multiven. After his departure, Adekeye used a Cisco employee’s password, with the employee’s permission, to download certain proprietary Cisco software.
Court Says Tech Startups Special re Works Made for Hire
In a recently-decided case (JustMed v. Byce), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided that a software developer was an employee, rather than an independent contractor, even though the parties had completed almost no employment-related paperwork.
Byce took over development of JustMed’s software from an employee who had moved out of state. Byce’s compensation – the same as his predecessor’s – was 15,000 shares of JustMed stock (valued at $0.50 per share) per month.
Contractors as a Tax Dodge – NYT Reports U.S. to Crack Down
Four months ago, I wrote about a Wall Street Journal report. According to that report, the Internal Revenue Service planned to audit 6,000 randomly-selected U.S. companies to determine the extent to which companies misclassify employees as independent contractors. (See The “Independent Contractor” Trap Becomes More Dangerous.) Today The New York Times reported that both federal and state officials are cracking down on misclassification (U.S. Cracks Down on Contractors as a Tax Dodge). The incentive: To reduce record budget deficits.
By misclassifying personnel, companies avoid paying Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance taxes. The article goes on to say that, on average, misclassified personnel do not report 30% of their income. The 2010 federal budget projects that the crackdown will net at least $7 billion over ten years.
Implication of contractors as a tax dodge for companies of all sizes:
If you have been lax in classifying workers, now would be a good time to start doing things correctly. Avoiding the “Independent Contractor” Trap may help you determine how to improve your classification procedures.
Dana H. Shultz, Attorney at Law +1 510 547-0545 dana [at] danashultz [dot] com
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact a lawyer directly.
Stock is Great – but Don’t Give It Away Too Quickly!
Most startups and early-stage companies have limited cash. As a result, they often are eager to use stock as a major component of? compensation. They need to make sure, however, that personnel stick around long enough to make the contributions for which they are being compensated.
In some instances, the corporation creates a tax-qualified incentive stock option plan. Employees are granted options to purchase stock, and they do not have to pay any tax on the stock (actually, on profits from their sale of the stock) until they exercise the option (purchase the stock, presumably, at a low price) and, later, sell the stock. (Tax law is less favorable to independent contractors.)
The “Independent Contractor” Trap Becomes More Dangerous
Earlier this year, I wrote Avoiding the “Independent Contractor” Trap about the dangers that companies face if they misclassify employees as independent contractors. The Wall Street Journal recently reported (Employers and Workers Clash in Court Over ‘Contractor’ Label) that those dangers have increased.
According to the WSJ article, the Internal Revenue Service will audit 6,000 randomly-selected U.S. companies in its first attempt since 1984 to quantify the extent of employee misclassification. The IRS is not taking this step merely to help the individuals involved receive the pay and benefits to which they are entitled – state and federal governments stand to gain billions of dollars every year from withholding taxes, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation if workers are classified properly.
Even greater than the risk of a government audit is the risk that a disgruntled “independent contractor” will file a wage claim (see Wage Claims – Nasty but [Sometimes] Necessary).
Avoiding the “Independent Contractor” Trap lists factors that can help you determine how to classify workers properly.
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
Attention Employers: “Retaliation” is the New “Discrimination”
According to an article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is seeing a surge of complaints based on retaliation – i.e., allegations that an employer retaliated against an employee who sought to protect his or her rights by complaining to the EEOC.
The article reports that eliminating retaliation is the EEOC’s top priority, because its enforcement of anti-discrimination laws will be successful only to the extent that employees free to file complaints.
So whether you are a large or small employer, here is the bottom line:
- Do not discriminate against any employee based on age, race, sex, religion, etc.
- If an employee files a discrimination complaint, do not retaliate against that employee.
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
Ten Tips for Success in the U.S.
Having helped more than a dozen foreign companies set up operations here during the past few years, I am pleased to offer “Ten Tips for Success in the U.S.” on the Downloads page – just Sign Up for Free Downloads using the drop-down list in the sidebar.
Here are the titles of the ten tips, which are discussed in greater detail in the document:
- Work with complementary businesses that are already established here
- Manage overseas personnel on the principle “trust but verify”
- Form your corporation or limited liability company properly
- Be ready for a legal system that is different from the one back home
- Identify and protect intellectual property (IP) that is used here
- Develop detailed employee and independent contractor agreements
- Choose an accountant with international tax experience
- Be prepared to obtain a federal employer identification number
- Conduct due diligence on potential investors
- Agree on business terms before you prepare a written agreement
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
Top Ten Legal Tips for Independent Contractors
I just made available on the Downloads page (sign up using the drop-down list in the sidebar) “Top Ten Legal Tips for Independent Contractors,” a document that describes how independent contractors can avoid exposing themselves to unnecessary legal risks.
Here are the titles of the ten tips, which are discussed in greater detail in the document:
- Choose the right type of legal entity for your business
- If you choose a corporation or LLC, comply with applicable formalities
- Buy the right types and amounts of insurance
- Identify and protect your intellectual property
- Use your form of client agreement whenever possible
- Be careful when assigning or waiving intellectual property rights
- Be careful when collaborating or subcontracting
- Be careful with nondisclosure / confidentiality agreements
- Avoid oral agreements whenever possible
- Understand what distinguishes independent contractors from employees
For more information about distinguishing independent contractors from employees (tip 10), please see Avoiding the “Independent Contractor” Trap.
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
The Top Ten Legal Mistakes of Startup and Early-stage Companies
I am pleased to make the article “The Top Ten Legal Mistakes of Startup and Early-stage Companies” available as a Free Download on the Downloads page.
Here are the ten mistakes that are discussed:
- Failing to comply with corporate formalities
- Pretending that employees are independent contractors
- Neglecting to provide and update an employee handbook
- Failing to establish or adhere to discipline or termination procedures
- Failing to ensure that the company owns its intellectual property
- Believing that “open source” means “no restrictions”
- Thinking that all NDAs have the same terms
- Believing that websites can unilaterally change their terms of use
- Using another company’s standard-form agreement
- Giving “family jewels” to an overseas supplier
Related post: Top Ten Intellectual Property Mistakes of Startup Entrepreneurs
Dana H. Shultz, Attorney at Law +1 510 547-0545 dana [at] danashultz [dot] com
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact a lawyer directly.
Securing IP Requires More than an NDA
When it comes to protecting intellectual property (IP), non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are ubiquitous. What many entrepreneurs fail to realize, however, is that securing IP requires more than an NDA. For an NDA to do its job, the company must actually own the IP in the first place!
The most serious ownership problems arise when there is no written agreement between the company and the individual developing the IP. Depending on the nature of the IP (for example, whether copyright or patent protection applies) and whether the developer is an employee of the company or an independent contractor, the developer may own the IP. If this is the case, the company has, at most, a non-exclusive license.
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If You Think It Smells Bad Now, Wait until You Dig into It
More than 20 years ago, I was General Counsel of a small software company. The CEO – a successful serial entrepreneur – was always looking for opportunities to acquire, or establish strategic relationships with, other companies. The CEO was creative in identifying opportunities, yet highly attuned to potential problems. He told me, “If you think it smells bad now, wait until you dig into it.“ I was recently reminded of his warning.
A client (“Client”) had signed a letter of intent to acquire a much smaller company (“Target”) and asked that I represent Client in the transaction. I sent a Due Diligence Request List to Target, and with its reply I had my first clues that Target might have some problems. Target’s initial responses were superficial and incomplete. I did not know whether the company was being evasive or was merely naive. Either way, it appeared that Target lacked a lawyer’s guidance.
Work Made for Hire – a Term Made for Confusion
As Alexander Pope wrote in An Essay on Criticism (1711), “A little Learning is a dang’rous Thing“. That certainly pertains to the legal concept of a “work made for hire” (WMFH).
People who have some knowledge of WMFH typically believe that it means the transfer of all rights in a work from the creator to a purchaser. So, for example, if an independent contractor writes software for a company, then according to this belief, the company will own all rights to the software if the parties’ contract says the software is a work made for hire. This belief is wrong! The following is an explanation of what work made for hire really means under copyright law and how parties actually can arrange for transfer of all rights in a work.
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Avoiding the Independent Contractor Trap
Small companies usually need to conserve cash, so they often turn to independent contractors rather than employees. This makes perfect sense – unless the company falls into what I call the independent contractor trap.
If there is not enough work to justify a regular employee, the company can use an independent contractor when needed. That way the company avoids making unemployment and social security contributions. Also, it does not pay benefits such as health and life insurance, retirement plan contributions and personal time off.
There can be problems, however. If the individual really is doing the work of an employee – is misclassified – the Internal Revenue Service or, in California, the Employment Development Department might reclassify the individual as an employee, erasing the presumed financial benefits.
