Source: https://www.jgschwartzlawblog.com/category/business-torts/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 00:56:30+00:00

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Business Torts Category Archives — Pleasanton Business & Commercial Law Blog Published by California Business and Commercial Attorneys — Law Offices of James G. Schwartz, P.C.
Social media has provided near-countless ways for people to communicate with one another. The “marketplaces of ideas” that social media companies provide, however, require constant moderation in order to enforce rules against inappropriate and illegal content. Facebook, which is based in Northern California, has been the world’s largest social media service for over a decade, and now has more than two billion active monthly users. The company employs content moderators, through a staffing agency, to review posts by Facebook users and remove those that violate the service’s rules. A former content moderator has filed a putative class action alleging that the company has negligently failed to maintain a safe work environment for its content moderators, and that this has caused her to “suffer from significant psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.” Scola v. Facebook, Inc. et al, No. 18CIV05135, complaint at 2 (Cal. Super. Ct., San Mateo Cty., Sep. 21, 2018). The lawsuit also asserts several causes of action under the California Unfair Competition Law (CUCL). If you have a question about an issue you’re experiencing at work, contact a California business lawyer.
The Scola lawsuit is primarily based on the common-law theory of negligence. In order to prevail on a negligence claim in a court of law, a plaintiff must prove four elements by a preponderance of evidence: (1) the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff or the general public; (2) the defendant breached this duty of care; (3) this breach was the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries; and (4) the plaintiff has suffered a measurable loss because of these injuries.
The CUCL defines “unfair competition,” in part, as “any unlawful…business act or practice.” Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200. The plaintiff in Scola cites various provisions of the California Labor Code, and alleges that violations by the defendants constitute “unfair competition.” State law generally requires employers to “furnish employment and a place of employment that is safe and healthful for the employees therein.” Cal. Lab. Code § 6400(a). Employers must take various affirmative steps to safeguard the workplace and their employees, including the use of “an effective injury prevention program.” Id. at § 6401.7(a).
Three plaintiffs filed a putative class action against a retail clothing company, alleging that it induced them to enter store locations with misleading advertisements of a storewide sale. The defendant sought summary judgment, partly on the ground that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue because they had not established actionable economic injuries. The trial court ruled in the defendant’s favor. The appellate court reversed this ruling, finding that the plaintiffs had demonstrated a triable issue of fact as to whether they suffered injuries-in-fact. SV v. Banana Republic, LLC, No. B270796, slip op. (Cal. App. 2nd, Dec. 15, 2016).
The lawsuit asserts causes of action under three California statutes. The Unfair Competition Law (UCL) prohibits “unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising.” Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200. The False Advertising Law (FAL) broadly prohibits the advertising of goods or services using “any statement…which is untrue or misleading, and which is known, or which…should be known, to be untrue or misleading.” Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17500. The Consumers Legal Remedies Act (CLRA) prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” connected with the sale of goods or services. Cal. Civ. Code § 1770(a). The plaintiffs in SV alleged three CLRA violations involving false advertising of goods, false or misleading statements regarding “price reductions,” and misrepresenting the nature of a transaction. Id. at §§ 1770(a)(9), (13), (14).
In order to establish standing under any of these statutes, a plaintiff must demonstrate that they have “suffered injury in fact and…lost money or property” because of the defendant’s unlawful act. SV, slip op. at 10, quoting Kwikset Corp. v. Superior Court, 51 Cal.4th 310, 321 (2011), Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17204. With regard to the amount of damages a plaintiff must show, the court notes that an “injury in fact is not a substantial or insurmountable hurdle.” SV at 10, Kwikset at 324. All three statutes allow restitution and injunctive relief. The UCL and the FAL limit any other kind of damages, but the CLRA expressly includes compensatory and punitive damages as available remedies.

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