California Expands and Modernizes Workplace Violence Restraining Order Protections

On September 30, 2026, Governor Newsom signed two bills amending California Code of Civil Procedure section 527.8, California’s workplace violence restraining order statute. California currently permits an employer to seek a temporary restraining order and workplace violence restraining order on behalf of an employee or group of employees who have suffered harassment, unlawful violence, or a credible threat of violence that can reasonably be construed as occurring, or likely to occur, at the workplace. The new laws expand an employer’s ability to obtain workplace violence restraining orders and modernize the process for seeking and obtaining such relief. 

AB 1961, which takes effect January 1, 2027, authorizes employers to seek a workplace violence restraining order on behalf of all employees at the employer’s workplace when harassment, unlawful violence, or a credible threat of violence is directed at that workplace or location. AB 2179, which takes effect January 1, 2028, allows electronic filing of workplace violence restraining order petitions and related documents and permits remote appearances by parties and witnesses at restraining order hearings.

AB 1961 Expands Protections Workplace-Wide

Under existing law, employers can seek relief on behalf of a particular employee or group of employees who have experienced harassment, unlawful violence or a credible threat of violence. Beginning January 1, 2027, employers will be able to seek a workplace violence restraining order on behalf of all employees at a workplace, or at a location at which a group of employees perform their primary job duties. Unlike the current process, an employer seeking a TRO on behalf of the entire workforce at a location will not be required to name a specific employee as having been threatened. This will facilitate getting relief against an individual who threatens to harm employees at a worksite without identifying a specific employee by name. Currently such a target must be identified and testify about the impact of the overall threat to them. The change facilitates getting relief in situations where employees fear retaliation or prefer to remain anonymous, allowing the employer alone to obtain initial court intervention through a TRO.¹

AB 2179 Modernizes Procedures for Seeking Workplace Violence Restraining Orders

Effective January 1, 2028, AB 2179 modernizes the procedural aspects of workplace violence restraining orders by permitting electronic filing of restraining order petitions and related documents. It also allows parties and witnesses to appear remotely at hearings and prohibits courts from charging a fee for remote appearances.

The legislation further requires superior courts to develop and post local rules and instructions governing remote appearances. 

Employer Takeaways

These amendments continue California’s recent expansion of the workplace violence prevention tools available to employers. 

• Beginning January 1, 2027, restraining orders may be available when threats target the workplace rather than a specific employee, and employers may obtain protection for all employees at a workplace or work location without identifying individual protected persons.
• Beginning January 1, 2028, courts that receive workplace violence restraining order petitions must permit the petitions and related documents to be filed electronically, and parties and witnesses may appear remotely at hearings without charge.

Under California Labor Code section 6401.9, employers have an obligation to maintain workplace violence prevention programs. Employers with operations in California should continue to work with labor and employment attorneys regarding their workplace violence policies as well as their options when responding to situations where an employee or group of employees has received a credible threat of violence.