Infuriating reason so many big companies are fleeing California

One after another, companies are leaving California.Chevron, Tesla, Oracle and others have already moved their headquarters to other states.And all have cited an unfriendly business environment.High taxes and onerous regulation are big parts of that story, but there’s something else that chases away big employers, too: California’s legal environment.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story The Golden State is a troubling example of what happens when workplace litigation becomes an industry unto itself.

In August alone, roughly 225 California workplace disputes reportedly settled for a combined $157 million.Some of these cases undoubtedly involved workers who had been genuinely wronged and were entitled to compensation.But over the years, an enormous cottage industry has grown from workplace lawsuits and employment claims, in part because many employers acknowledge even claims with little merit can cost vast sums to defend.Sometimes paying a settlement is cheaper than proving you did nothing wrong.Such litigation creates a dangerous incentive.It raises questions that receive far less attention than the size of the settlements: What obligation does a lawyer have to determine not merely whether a workplace claim can be brought, but whether it should be? When did being a good lawyer become primarily about what you can do rather than what you should do?Law schools still teach ethics.

There are courses, professional codes and elaborate rules governing what attorneys may and may not do.But rules are not morality, and somewhere along the way, too many have confused the two.When a potential client walks into a lawyer’s office angry at a former employer, how often does the lawyer begin with the most important question: “What actually happened?” And how often does th...