In a class action lawsuit filed on March 14, 2025, in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, Crystal Mitchell has brought forward a complaint against Guardant Health, Inc., a biotechnology company based in Palo Alto. The case, identified as 25CV461058, accuses Guardant Health of multiple labor law violations affecting current and former employees classified as non-exempt.
Crystal Mitchell, the plaintiff, claims that Guardant Health failed to pay minimum and overtime wages as required by California Labor Code sections 1194 and 510. The complaint alleges that employees were often required to work off-the-clock without compensation for mandatory COVID-19 screenings and other tasks. Furthermore, it is claimed that Guardant Health engaged in unlawful practices such as rounding down recorded work hours to the company's benefit and failing to include incentive pay when calculating overtime rates. These actions allegedly resulted in underpayment for overtime work performed beyond eight hours per day or forty hours per week.
Mitchell also asserts that Guardant Health did not provide legally mandated meal and rest breaks as stipulated by California Labor Code sections 226.7 and 512. Employees reportedly had their meal periods interrupted or were required to work through them entirely without receiving appropriate compensation. Additionally, the lawsuit claims that wage statements provided by Guardant Health were inaccurate and did not reflect true gross wages or total hours worked.
The plaintiff seeks an injunction against these practices, demanding restitution for unpaid wages and penalties under California's unfair competition laws (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200). The relief sought includes payment for missed meal and rest periods at one hour's pay per infraction and reimbursement for business expenses incurred using personal resources such as cell phones.
Representing Crystal Mitchell are attorneys from Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP: Norman B. Blumenthal, Kyle R. Nordrehaug, Aparajit Bhowmik, Nicholas J. De Blouw, and Jeffrey S. Herman. The case is presided over by Judge J. Nguyen. The case ID is: 25CV461058.