there was follow up in the original thread, and this (in the USA) is really and truly settled law since about 1938. the thing is that the law does not go back past 3 years for recovery of lost wages and very little penalty for the employer beyond paying back wages, (so no real downside for the employer, worst that happens is they have to pay what they should have been paying anyway, and if they get away with it for 5 years between incidents where they are forced to repay, they still are ahead of the curve since they only have to pay for 3 years wages).
If I remember correctly, the "settlement" in the case in Calif. was not a trial finding of fact as much as a settlement that included 'no further discussion' by the parties and no admission of wrong doing (as usual in this sort of case). This discussion almost always gets dealer principals e-mailing each other to shut down this discussion.