Public entities such as hospitals can’t be sued for labor code violations under a California law that lets workers bring claims against their employers, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
Such entities have the same kind of immunity from liability that applies to entities that govern, Justice Carol A. Corrigan wrote in an opinion for a unanimous court. State lawmakers meant to exempt public employers, which in this case includes the Bay Area-based Alameda Health System, from labor laws that address meal and rest breaks and payroll issues, she said, and such public entities also can’t be penalized under the ...