Huntington Beach Law Blog

Being an employer is a stressful job. Whether you own a small business yourself or are in a management position for a larger corporation, you have a lot on your plate when it comes to ensuring that daily operations run smoothly. Your responsibilities include monitoring employees, making sure they carry out their duties and, when necessary, firing workers.

Though California is an at-will employment state, that does not necessarily mean that you can fire a worker for any flippant reason or that you are exempt from facing potential wrongful termination claims from former employees. As a result, it is important to know when dismissing an employee could violate the law.

Insurance appraisals are a tool used here in California and other states to resolve disputes carriers and policyholders regarding coverage. The areas in question often revolve around whether the policy covers the claim, the details of the claim, what was damaged and how much is the claim worth. The two sides may opt to resolve their differences through litigation. Still, they can address the issue using an insurance appraisal, an onsite inspection of the property by a panel with all interested parties present.

Due to the number of people involved, it could take months to finalize the appraisal's date. Moreover, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it likely adds additional time because of stay-at-home orders and business closures. There may also be necessary arrangements in the format that uses social distancing, masks or other precautions to ensure that the parties can attend and conduct the appraisal in relative safety.

Many dream of one day owning their own shop, but starting from scratch can be daunting. One alternative to building a business from the ground up is to buy a franchise. The starting costs will be much higher, but the franchisee also gets established products or services as well as guidance for running a successful business.

Before signing on the dotted line, business experts recommend researching your business opportunity to make sure it is a good fit for the franchisee and whether the franchiser's deal is fair and equitable.

The world is facing its largest economic crisis since the Great Depression. This is, of course, tied to the coronavirus and the stay at home order embraced by governors around the country. Many businesses closed, perhaps never to reopen, leaving upwards of 15 million to file for unemployment as of May.

Unfortunately, women are filing at a higher rate than men. Statistics in the United States put women's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April 2020 at 16.2% while men sit at 13.5%. These numbers are both up from 3.4% for women and 3.6% for men in February 2020.