Santa Clara Law Review Volume 60 Number 2 Article 5 7-8-2020 HAS PAGA MET ITS FINAL MATCH? CONTINUED EXPANSION OF CALIFORNIA’S PRIVATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL ACT LEADS TO TRADE GROUP’S CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE Muñoz, Ivan Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/lawreview Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Muñoz, Ivan, Case Note, HAS PAGA MET ITS FINAL MATCH? CONTINUED EXPANSION OF CALIFORNIA’S PRIVATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL ACT LEADS TO TRADE GROUP’S CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE, 60 SANTA CLARA L. REV. 397 (2020). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/lawreview/vol60/iss2/5 This Case Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Santa Clara Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Santa Clara Law Review by an authorized editor of Santa Clara Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. HAS PAGA MET ITS FINAL MATCH? CONTINUED EXPANSION OF CALIFORNIA’S PRIVATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL ACT LEADS TO TRADE GROUP’S CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE Ivan Muñoz* In 2003, California enacted the Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) in response to its inability to enforce its labor code amid rapid expansion of its workforce. What was traditionally a responsibil- ity of the Attorney General, private plaintiffs could now sue their em- ployers for alleged violations of the labor code. The law was received with much controversy, and to this day, there are growing concerns that it has become an extortive mechanism for plaintiffs at the expense of the business community. This Note traces the historical development of the law by investi- gating its expansion in both the legislature and judiciary.