Ayala v. Antelope Valley Newspapers: Supreme Court Grants Review In Independent Contractor Class Action

In Ayala v. Antelope Valley Newspapers, Inc. (9/19/12, pub. 10/17/12) (discussed here), the plaintiffs "sought to certify a class of newspaper home delivery carriers ... alleging that AVP improperly classified the carriers as independent contractors rather than employees... The trial court found there were numerous variations in how the carriers performed their jobs, and therefore common issues did not predominate." Slip op. at 2. The Court of Appeal reversed in part, holding that variations in how individuals performed their work did not preclude class certification under S.G. Borello & Sons, Inc. v. Department of Industrial Relations (1989) 48 Cal.3d 341.  

On January 30, the Supreme Court  granted the defendant's petition for review.  Ayala is Case No. S206874.  The Supreme Court's web site for it is here.