Sean Shabbar

(April 2, 2024) - Mark Goldstein and Sean Shabbar of Reed Smith LLP discuss trade secret protection as states have enacted laws that limit or ban the use of non-compete and other restrictive covenant agreements. Over the past several years, a host of U.S. states have enacted laws that limit or ban the use of non-compete and other restrictive covenant agreements.

Widely known as “Ban the Box” laws, California is among the many jurisdictions that have adopted laws limiting the use of criminal background checks in evaluating job candidates. Enacted in 2018, California’s Fair Chance Act generally prohibits employers, with five or more employees, from asking a job candidate about their conviction history before making a conditional job offer.

On September 27, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 1162 expanding the scope of California’s existing pay transparency laws. SB 1162 imposes new requirements for pay information in job postings, extends current pay data reporting requirements to all employers in California with 100 or more employees, requires additional information from employers, and provides penalties for failure to comply with the law, as amended.