Joby Aviation, the Santa Cruz-based company that is emerging as a leader in aviation tech and has a manufacturing facility in Marina, has been served with a nine-count class action lawsuit that claims the company violated California labor laws at its Marina plant.
Jason Malaluan is the only named plaintiff but his lawsuit, filed in Monterey County Superior Court on Aug. 2, and claims to represent a class of over 50 people. Malaluan, represented by attorney Jessica Campbell and a team of lawyers at Irvine-based Aegis Law Firm, alleges that Joby Aviation failed to pay minimum wage, compensate workers for overtime, provide meal and rest breaks and pay wages on time. Representatives from Joby Aviation declined to comment for this story.
Malaluan is seeking relief exceeding $25,000 to collect unpaid wages, unpaid business expenses, benefits and attorneys fees. He is also demanding the case be tried by a jury. The case has been assigned to Monterey County Superior Court Judge Thomas Willis and a hearing is set for Dec. 6. Joby has not yet filed a response to Malaluan’s lawsuit.
Although the lawsuit lays out nine counts of labor violations, it is short on details regarding how and when these violations occurred. Also unclear is what job title Malaluan held and if, when or how his employment was terminated. Representatives from Aegis Law Firm did not return the Weekly’s multiple requests for comment.
Joby Aviation is focused on a sector of the transportation tech sector known as electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL. Joby’s vehicles are essentially unmanned electric helicopters the company hopes to use as ride-hailing vehicles in an Uber-like service for air travel.
The company, which received a Federal Aviation Administration certificate in May, has targeted 2024 as the date they hope to launch the service into the market.
Joby first set up shop at the Marina Municipal Airport in 2018, paying $25,000/month in rent to the city.
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