News

Weintraub is pleased to welcome Jacqueline M. Simonovich to the Firm’s Litigation Group. Jackie has represented a wide variety of clients in both state and federal court and has litigated matters before international arbitral forums, including the International Centre for Dispute Resolution and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Weintraub attorney Brendan J. Begley recently convinced the California Court of Appeal that a person who obtains a Domestic-Violence Restraining Order (“DVRO”) against an abusive person can have a trial court renew that order once it is about to expire even if the restrained person’s appeal from the original DVRO remains pending at that time.  (In re Marriage of Carlisle (2021) 60 Cal.App.5th 244, 246.)  Generally, once an appeal is filed in state court, a trial court has no power to modify its order; however, Brendan persuaded California’s Third Appellate District that DVROs are different.

The appellate court initially issued that ruling in an unpublished decision, which is not binding on other courts in the state.  However, non-profit advocacy groups asked the appellate court to publish the opinion since such binding precedent would “be particularly helpful for survivors across California because [someone needing to have a DVRO renewed while the initial DVRO is on appeal] is not unique.”  According to the Family Violence Appellate Project, “trial practitioners, domestic violence advocates, and survivors [had previously] expressed how their trial courts were uncertain as to what authority they had with respect to domestic violence matters when an appeal is pending.”  This published decision should put a stop to that problem.

FX Network is adapting the newly released nonfiction book written by cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth. The series is being developed by Tommy Schlamme from The West Wing. The book is about the history of cyberwarfare and how the United States became vulnerable to attack.

The drama series is being executive produced by  Schlamme along with Julie deJoie. Screenwriters Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani will also exec produce, and Perlroth is slated to be a producer on the project.

Schlamme is represented by CAA and Stan Coleman and Matt Sugarman of Weintraub Tobin.

You can read the full article on Deadline here.

Cheech Marin will be part of an upcoming Lionsgate action-comedy, Shotgun Wedding, also starring Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Lopez, and Josh Duhamel. Jason Moore is directing the film and it is slated to start production this month. D’arcy Carden, Selena Tan, Desmin Borges, and Alex Mallari have also signed on for the film. The screenplay is about a couple who take their very opinionated families to an ultimate destination wedding and the wedding party is taken hostage. Production is scheduled to start this month.

Cheech Marin is represented by Weintraub Tobin attorney Stan Coleman and Matt Sugarman.

To read the full article on Deadline, click here.

Sacramento, CA (February 2, 2021) – Weintraub Tobin, a leading California full-service law firm, is pleased to announce that it has joined the Sacramento Legal Employers Diversity Collaborative. The initiative, spearheaded by the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, involves a group of local, national, and international law firms, state agencies, public defenders, and district attorneys committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion at law schools and in the legal profession.

The Sacramento Legal Employers Diversity Collaborative is comprised of four main components: a pathway pipeline project focused on outreach to young people in underprivileged and diverse communities to teach them about a possible career in law; a best practices program for legal employers on recruiting and retaining diverse attorneys; a cross-employer mentoring program that promotes and values shared experiences between diverse attorneys; and a program to study and possibly expand law school curricula to include equity and inclusion as valuable legal practice skills.

Weintraub’s participation in the Collaborative is in furtherance of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all areas of the Firm.  Lizbeth (“Beth”) West, Shareholder and Chair of the Firm’s Labor and Employment Group, represents Weintraub in the Collaborative and serves on the pathway pipeline subcommittee.

“Like many of the young people we hope to reach, I didn’t know any attorneys growing up. I am the first person in my family to graduate from college, let alone obtain a JD,” Beth said. “I want to share with these young people that their futures are not written for them; they can write their own futures and their diverse and unique contributions to the legal profession are very important.”

More information about the Sacramento Legal Employers Diversity Collaborative can be found in a recent Law.com “Ahead of the Curve” article.  The full article is available here.

Summary of Program
Lizbeth (“Beth”) West and Lukas Clary Weintraub Tobin’s Labor & Employment Group discuss the serious risks involved in misclassifying a worker as an independent contractor rather than an employee. Not only can misclassified workers sue for employment benefits, but several federal and state agencies regulate worker classification for various purposes, and have the authority to impose significant sanctions against employers who misclassify workers.  Since AB 5 was enacted, the “ABC” test has made classifying workers as independent contractors an uphill battle. In this webinar, we explain the applicable classification tests and exemptions under AB 5, as recently amended by the passage of AB 2257. We also discuss Prop 22 and other related developments in this area of law.

Program Highlights
This webinar covers the legal landscape of independent contractor status. Topics include:

• A discussion of Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Sup. Ct.
• The ABC Test under AB 5 (Labor Code 2775, et. seq.) and the exemptions from that Test pursuant to AB 5 and AB 22
• A discussion of the Borello multi-factor test;
• A summary of the DOL’s final rule on classification of independent contractors;
• A discussion of the limited application of Prop 22;
• A summary of the enforcement authority of various federal and state agencies and the sanctions they may impose;
• The due diligence employers should engage in before classifying a worker as an independent contractor; and
• California’s law imposing monetary and non-monetary sanctions against employers (and other individuals) who willfully misclassify workers as independent contractors.

If you or your company currently use independent contractors, or are contemplating doing so, this is a webinar you should not miss.

This seminar was presented and recorded on February 3, 2020. A recording of this webinar can be viewed on the Weintraub Tobin YouTube page. Please note that this webinar is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. We recommend that you speak to your professional advisors about the specifics of your business.

Weintraub is pleased to welcome Devinn L. Martin to our Trusts & Estates Practice Group. Devinn’s practice focuses on all aspects of trusts and estates litigation.

Weintraub is pleased to welcome Anders L. Bostrom to our Litigation Practice Group. Anders helps clients achieve their desired outcomes as either plaintiffs or defendants. He handles a wide variety of matters, including contract, real estate, and partnership disputes, as well as trade secret, copyright, and trademark cases.

HBO Documentary films debuts Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street in 2021. The documentary has been in the works for 5 years and is about the iconic show Sesame Street, which first aired in the 1960s. Street Gang focuses on the first two decades of the groundbreaking show, specifically how it interpreted radical changes in society while entertaining and educating children.

HBO Documentary Films presents a Macrocosm Entertainment production in association with the Exchange, Bondit Media Capital, and Citizen Skull Productions. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is directed by Marilyn Agrelo, produced by Trevor Crafts, Ellen Scherer Crafts and Lisa Diamond, and executive produced by Brian O’Shea, Nat McCormick, Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, Mark Myers and Heather Kenyon. The co-executive producer is Michael Davis and the editor is Ben Gold. Macrocosm Entertainment and Crafts are represented by Matt Sugarman.

You can read the full article on The Wrap here.

Skydance Television has acquired the rights to P. Djéli Clark’s Ring Shout, a novella about otherworldly evil in the 1920s South that manifests in the form of monsters who thrive on—and in—people filled with hate.

Clark will executive produce along with Kasi Lemmons, who is set to serve as showrunner and will write and direct the series. Kiki Layne will star and also executive produce; Marc Evans, Matt Jackson, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost will also executive produce. Clark is represented by Matt Sugarman.

You can read the full Deadline article here.