Avery Richey, Plaintiff and Appellant v. Autonation, Inc., Defendants and Respondents

Summary

The court reversed the Court of Appeal and upheld an arbitration award rejecting the employee's claims that his termination violated statutory medical-leave reinstatement rights. Although the arbitrator may have improperly relied on an unsettled honest-belief defense, the error did not deprive the employee of an unwaivable statutory right because the arbitrator independently found that he was terminated for violating a written policy against outside employment while on leave. The court therefore declined to decide whether the honest-belief defense is valid in California employment law.