Several recent cases (including a highly publicized one involving ride-sharing company Uber) have highlighted just how expensive it can be to misclassify employees as independent contractors in California. However, it still happens—and we’ve got another case to share with our readers.
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Four truck drivers, Romeo Garcia, Eddy Gonzalez, Wilmer Urbina, and Desiderio Aguilar, sued Seacon Logix, Inc. under California Labor Code Section 2802. They sought reimbursement of the lease and insurance payments deducted from their weekly paychecks, as well as fuel and repair expenses on the grounds that the deductions were improper because the drivers were employees, not independent contractors.
The trial court ruled in their favor and awarded damages for paycheck deductions in the amounts they requested—$29,013.40 to Garcia, $19,884.40 to Aguilar, $20,686.35 to Gonzalez, and $38,218.91 to Urbina. The employer appealed, and we provide further details of how the case progressed at the link below.