February 19, 2026. “Sometimes the most impactful appeals don’t reach the official reports. This is one of those appeals,” said Brent Robinson, Counsel at Clarkson Law Firm, after the Court of Appeal issued a full reversal in his client’s wage-and-hour case.
Clarkson Law Firm recently secured the full appellate reversal on behalf of a restaurant manager seeking unpaid minimum and overtime wages. In a decision issued on February 19, 2026, the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division 3 reversed the trial court’s grant of summary judgment and summary adjudication, sending the case back for trial and giving our client the opportunity to present his claims to a jury.
The plaintiff, David Wu, worked as a restaurant manager and alleged that he was improperly classified as exempt and never paid the minimum salary required under California law – despite working long hours, including overtime, before and during the pandemic. The trial court accepted the employer’s arguments and dismissed the case. The Court of Appeal did not.
In its decision, the appellate court held that:
- Managers are not automatically exempt simply because they hold a title or receive a salary.
- To qualify for an exemption, employers must prove every element of the exemption – including payment of a salary at least twice the minimum wage.
- Individual owners and managing agents can be held personally liable for wage-and-hour violations when they exercise control over company policies and practices.
- Summary judgment cannot be granted where employers fail to meet their evidentiary burden.
Because the employer could not establish that Mr. Wu was ever paid the minimum salary required for an exemption, the Court of Appeal ruled that summary judgment was improper as a matter of law.
This ruling reaffirms a core principle of California labor law: exemptions are narrowly construed, and the burden always rests with employers – not workers – to justify them.
Clarkson’s Role
The appeal was handled by Clarkson Law Firm Counsel Brent Robinson, and while the opinion is unpublished, its impact is very real for workers who are misclassified and denied lawful wages.
As this case shows, meaningful accountability doesn’t always come with headlines – but it does come with persistence, principled advocacy, and a willingness to fight for workers who were denied what the law guarantees them.
If you or someone you know has faced workplace violations, reach out to us. Clarkson is here to make sure workers’ voices are heard and that employers play by the rules.
The case is Wu v. Weng, Case No. B339158, in the Court of Appeal of the State of California, Second Appellate District, Division Three.
