P. ex rel. Harris v. Pac Anchor Transportation, Inc.

Summary

The court held that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 does not preempt the People’s unfair competition action alleging that a trucking company misclassified drivers and thereby violated generally applicable labor and insurance laws. The action was neither facially preempted merely because it was brought under the unfair competition law nor preempted as applied, because the challenged laws regulate employment practices and affect carrier prices and services only indirectly. The court affirmed the Court of Appeal’s judgment and left the merits of the alleged misclassification for further proceedings.