and I'll be right up front with you here, that you need to get some back-bone!! Your boss pays YOU to do what you do because you obviously know what you are doing, and you know what the laws in California are. (I am a business owner in California, so I'm very familiar with payroll laws here myself.) This "friend" is obviously ignorant, and for whatever reason she is insecure. People like this believe that the worse they can make you look, the better they will look!! She WANTS her friend to think that the best thing she ever did was to hire HER. You, unfortunately, are playing right into her hands and into her little "game plan"!! Finding out that someone like you was working there, was just the opportunity she needed to make herself look GOOD!! Don't just sit there and let her do that to you! Gather your figures together for the meeting! Whatever subject you expect her to bring up to make you look bad, have copies of "the law" that pertains to that subject already printed out to present to your boss. When the friend makes her little snide remark or whatever, say, "Excuse me Ms.__________, (whatever you call your boss), please allow me a minute of your time to point out that California State Law says such and such, and so and so in regard to Overtime," (or whatever the subject is), then lay the copies on her. Have your little speech ready; "I would like to call your attention to 'such and such' clause half way down the page that I have highlighted for you, which states...." Follow that up with, "I mean no disrespect to Ms._________, as she is my immediate superior, but she and I are apparently in disagreement on this subject, and I think it bears discussion." Then take it from there...don't be so "job-scared" that you let this woman run over the top of you! You can turn the tables on her, and still do it respectfully, which will make it nearly impossible for your boss to find fault with you. Stand up for yourself! The world is full of people like this and if you lay down and let them do this to you, you won't get anywhere! Dragonfly Xomba Moderator