Requesting that new employees sign an employment agreement with a forum selection clause (which determines which state will have jurisdiction over legal disputes) is a common practice for businesses that operate in multiple states. Even if these clauses are mandatory, however, they can still be overturned by the courts. The case of Verdugo v. Alliantgroup stands out as one of California’s most important wage and hour rulings of 2015, as it gave guidance on an important issue – which side has the burden of proof when the validity of a mandatory forum selection clause is questioned.

The Forum Selection Clause Case

When Rachel Verdugo was hired in 2007 to work in Irvine, California for a tax consulting services company named Alliantgroup, she signed an employment agreement with a choice-of-law clause. This clause stated that the employment agreement would be governed in all respects by the laws of Texas – which is where Alliantgroup is headquartered. The agreement also stated that subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction would be limited to Texas, and that Harris County, Texas, would be the only accepted venue for legal disputes.

Verdugo nonetheless filed a class action complaint in California against Alliantgroup in 2013. She alleged that she and similarly situated employees of Alliantgroup had been subjected to a variety of wage and hour violations, including failure to pay overtime wages and vacation pay, failure to provide required meal breaks, and unfair and unlawful business practices.

When Alliantgroup moved to dismiss the complaint based on the employment agreement’s forum selection clause, the trial court granted the motion. However, a California Court of Appeal reversed the decision, and held that the forum selection clause was unenforceable.

Where the Burden Lies

Verdugo argued that litigating the case in Texas would violate her rights as a California worker – rights that cannot be waived. The Court held that because the plaintiff was making this argument, the burden was therefore on the defendant to prove that her rights would not be diminished if the case was litigated in Texas. The Court went on to determine that Alliantgroup failed to meet this burden.

The ruling points out that six of Verdugo’s claims were based on her statutory rights under the California Labor Code. The Court held that because California’s legislature has stated that these statutory rights cannot be set aside, a requirement that Verdugo’s case be litigated according to Texas law would be amount to a waiver of her unwaiveable rights. The Court cited case law in determining that in these types of situations, the burden is placed on the defendant.

Having held that Alliantgroup had the burden to prove that Verdugo’s rights would not be diminished, the Court determined that Alliantgroup had not met that burden. Alliantgroup argued that it was probable that a Texas court would apply California law, but the Court held that this “speculation” was not enough to satisfy the burden of proof. [Read more…]