A group of Vietnamese-American salon owners and manicurists have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the State of California, alleging that a section of the California Labor Code unfairly targets their profession.
The lawsuit, filed in the Central District of California, challenges Labor Code §2778, which as of January 1 requires manicurists to be classified as employees, while allowing most other licensed beauty professionals to work as independent contractors.
Assemblyman Tri Ta, who supports the plaintiffs and introduced legislation earlier this year to change the law, said the current policy discriminates against Vietnamese workers, many of whom rely on the flexibility of independent work.
“The livelihoods of manicurists were turned upside down when the state stripped them of their right to work independently, while other beauty professionals kept that freedom,” Ta said in a statement. “This isn’t just unfair, it’s discriminatory.”
The lawsuit, Blu Nail Bar, Inc et al v. Newsom et al, is listed as Case No. 8:25-cv-01184.
Scott Wellman, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said the law has imposed unequal treatment on Vietnamese-American manicurists since going into effect. “If the State of California refuses to fix this injustice, we are prepared to hold them accountable in federal court,” he said.
