Legal Question in Employment Law in California

I need more information in order to help you.

Law Guru is not a law firm or attorney referral service. It is a public bulletin board service in which we private attorneys can field questions of general interest in various legal areas and answer them. The questions and answers then become part of the Law Guru database. In some cases, such as yours, a questioner may also be hoping to connect with a qualified attorney, and many of us do occasionally wind up accepting cases from clients who connect with us here, but that is secondary to the question and answer purpose of the site.

Tying together what my colleagues have said, these are very fact specific cases and whether the person you thought you were helping has a legitimate claim depends on the details, which you have not provided. And that is often the problem with people who post messages looking for help.

You may have inadvertently made your "friend" an employee and, if so, may have violated a number of labor laws, which I'm sure are being alleged. You have to hire a lawyer who defends employers, not look for free advise on a forum like this. It is going to cost money. So start shopping around and consult with several lawyers before you decide who is best suited to defend your business before a default judgment is entered against you.

Happy to help you, but have you talked to your insurance carrier to see if you have coverage that will provide you defense and an attorney??

If you do not have any such coverage, feel free to contact me for the legal help you'll need. You appear local to my office. Do not delay obtaining counsel, as you have only 30 days from being served to respond in court, to avoid a default against you. You have not made clear what the lawsuit claims are based on. Whatever your defenses are to the claims will have to be evaluated by counsel in order to give you useful legal advice and allow you to make informed decisions.

If you do not have coverage for the claim then the suit must be defended. Contact me directly for assistance in trying to obtain coverage or for an agresive defense.