Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/21pdf/20-1573_8p6h.pdf
Page Number: 8.0

4 

VIKING RIVER CRUISES, INC. v. MORIANA 

Opinion of the Court 

the State’s claims for civil penalties on a representative ba-
sis,  but  it  does  not  create  any  private  rights  or  private 
claims for relief.  Iskanian, 59 Cal. 4th, at 381, 327 P. 3d, at 
148; see also Amalgamated Transit, 46 Cal. 4th 993, 1002, 
209  P. 3d  937,  943  (2009).    The  code  provisions  enforced 
through the statute establish public duties that are owed to 
the State, not private rights belonging to employees in their 
“individual capacities.”  Iskanian, 59 Cal. 4th, at 381, 327 
P. 3d, at 147.  Other, distinct provisions of the code create 
individual  rights,  and  claims  arising  from  violations  of
those rights are actionable through separate private causes
of  action  for  compensatory  or  statutory  damages.    Id.,  at 
381–382, 327 P. 3d, at 147–148; see also Kim v. Reins Int’l 
California,  Inc.,  9  Cal.  5th  73,  86,  459  P. 3d  1123,  1130 
(2020) (“[C]ivil penalties recovered on the state’s behalf are
intended to remediate present violations and deter future
ones, not to redress employees’ injuries” (internal quotation
marks omitted; emphasis deleted)).  And because PAGA ac-
tions are understood to involve the assertion of the govern-
ment’s claims on a derivative basis, the judgment issued in
a PAGA action is binding on anyone “who would be bound 
by  a  judgment  in  an  action  brought  by  the  government.” 
Arias, 46 Cal. 4th, at 986, 209 P. 3d, at 933. 

California  precedent  also  interprets  the  statute  to  con-
tain  what  is  effectively  a  rule  of  claim  joinder.  Rules  of 
claim joinder allow a party to unite multiple claims against 
an opposing party in a single action.  See 6A C. Wright, H.
Miller, & E. Cooper, Federal Practice and Procedure §1582
(3d  ed.  2016)  (Wright  &  Miller).    PAGA  standing  has  the
same function.  An employee with statutory standing may
“seek any civil penalties the state can, including penalties 
for violations involving employees other than the PAGA lit-
igant herself.”  ZB, N. A. v. Superior Court, 8 Cal. 5th 175, 
185, 448 P. 3d 239, 243–244 (2019).  An employee who al-
leges he or she suffered a single violation is entitled to use 
that violation as a gateway to assert a potentially limitless