LOS ANGELES — IBM failed to properly cover work-from-home expenses incurred by employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, a state appellate court ruled, potentially creating a legal pathway for similar action against other companies.
The 3-0 ruling Tuesday by the California 1st District Court of Appeal overturns a lower court decision in a class-action lawsuit involving thousands of IBM employees.
"We always thought the trial judge got it wrong, and now the court of appeals has confirmed our belief that the stay-at-home orders do not insulate IBM from having to comply with the labor code," Craig Ackermann, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, wrote in an email.
