Paul D. Knothe

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Paul Knothe is an associate in Liebert Cassidy Whitmore's Los Angeles office.  Paul advises and represents clients in the areas of employment law and labor relations.  Paul has extensive experience in handling employment litigation, grievance arbitrations, administrative hearings, and providing day-to-day legal counsel to clients.

Paul's litigation practice includes matters in state and federal courts, including appellate courts pertaining to alleged discrimination and retaliation, wage-hour issues, and issues surrounding collectively bargained Memoranda of Understanding; handling all aspects of litigation, from case assessment and pre-trial motion practice, through all forms of discovery proceedings, and settlement, to trial.  Paul has litigated both class-action and single or multi-plaintiff employment matters.

Paul also regularly conducts thorough workplace investigations, with a focus on high-profile incidents or allegations against senior management personnel.

Prior to joining LCW, Paul practiced labor and employment law in both the public and private sectors.

Connect: Read more about Paul D. Knothe
Firm/Organization: Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Blogs: California Public Agency Labor & Employment Blog

Latest Articles

This post was authored by Paul Knothe. On February 20, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Timbs v. Indiana, holding for the first time that the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition of excessive fines applies to civil forfeiture by state law enforcement agencies.  It did not, however, decide how large a forfeiture constitutes an unconstitutionally “excessive” fine. The term “civil asset forfeiture” refers to the practice of law enforcement agencies seizing property,…
This post was authored by Paul D. Knothe. On September 30, 2018, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. signed two significant pieces of legislation, Senate Bill 1421 and Assembly Bill 748, that will require major changes in how law enforcement agencies respond to requests for peace officer personnel records. We described this legislation in detail in a previous Special Bulletin. In short, these two statutes will allow members of the public to obtain certain peace…
This post was authored by Paul Knothe. Assembly Bill 2282, signed into law by Governor Brown on July 18, 2018, attempts to clarify elements of California’s salary history and equal pay statutes, Labor Code sections 432.3 and 1197.5.  This legislation, which appears to help answer several common questions about these statutes, takes effect January 1, 2019. Update to Salary History Statute The salary history statute, Labor Code section 432.3, went into effect January 1,…
On October 12, 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB 168, which will go into effect January 1, 2018 as Labor Code 432.3.  This new statute prohibits employers, in many circumstances, from attempting to obtain information regarding a job applicant’s salary history, or from considering that salary history in determining whether to offer employment to an applicant or what salary to offer an applicant.  This prohibition applies only to the applicant’s salary history in…
Religious diversity, including the protection of religious minorities, is a core American value, as shown by its prominent placement in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, in the establishment and free exercise clauses.  California is, unsurprisingly, a leader in religious diversity.  Many religious believers adhere to, and find deep meaning in, religious observances including particular days of rest and grooming and dress standards. These religious practices or observances may at times conflict with an…
This post was authored by Paul Knothe and Kaylee Feick On May 30, 2017, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in County of Los Angeles v. Mendez.  LCW attorneys, J. Scott Tiedemann and Leighton Henderson, submitted an amicus curiae brief to the United States Supreme Court in the case on behalf of the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association. (What are Amicus Curiae Briefs?) The decision rejected the “provocation doctrine” adopted…
California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”) revised an existing regulation and adopted a new regulation regarding employers’ use of employees’ and applicants’ criminal history in employment decisions, effective July 1, 2017. Restrictions that are specific to the use of criminal records were moved from California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Section 11017 to the new regulation, Section 11017.1.  Importantly, these regulations do not override state or federal laws or regulations prohibiting persons with…
California has statutorily prohibited unequal pay on the basis of sex since 1949.  As a previous blog post explained, that law was amended in 2016 to formally change the standard for equal pay claims based on sex.  Instead of requiring equal pay for “equal” work, the statute now requires equal pay for “substantially similar work when viewed as a composite of skill, effort, and responsibility, performed under similar working conditions.” Effective January 1, 2017,…
Every election has its share of controversy and hot-button issues; the 2016 election, however, is a spectacle the likes of which few of us have ever seen.  It is inevitable that employees will talk about the election in the workplace, and, especially in this volatile political climate, these discussions can result in heated arguments.  Because political dialogue – especially this year – can touch on issues of race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and…
In Stanislaus County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association v. County of Stanislaus, decided August 11, 2016, the California Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District, held that custodial deputies may lawfully carry concealed firearms while off duty without obtaining a CCW permit, and invalidated the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s policy of requiring all such custodial deputies to obtain a permit to carry in their off-duty hours.  In reaching this conclusion, the Court of Appeal disagreed with a 2002 …