We checked 18 claims in this article against research expense-reimbursement-laws-by-state (and its fact-check), plus companion mileage surfaces for vehicle-satellite links only. All 18 verified. No invented state duties, no SERP "nine mandatory cell-phone states" conflation, no fixed judicial phone-percentage claim, no Aguilar-as-expense citation (the research fact-check omitted Aguilar for lack of a Tier-1 expense holding). Stipend dollar ranges are framed as common practice, not black-letter rates.
Verification result: the checked article claims are verified for publication. The article correctly treats federal law as a kickback floor, concentrates affirmative phone/remote risk in CA/IL with Field Code + NH broad roster, and routes vehicle detail to the mileage cluster.
1 claim
FLSA has no general affirmative expense-reimbursement statute; federal protection is the minimum-wage kickback rule
Matches research opener and federal floor section; 29 USC §206 + 29 CFR §531.35.
2 claims
Broad duty states are CA, IL, MT, ND, SD, and NH (request-based)
Research roster summary: 6 broad affirmative. NH framed as request-based with 30-day proof rule (RSA 275:57).
Narrow / conditional roster includes MA, IA, DC, MN, NY, PA, Seattle
Research table + "other affirmative and conditional jurisdictions." Seattle is local overlay, not statewide WA duty — article states that explicitly.
4 claims
California §2802 adds interest from expense date and attorney's fees for prevailing employees
§2802(b)/(c); CCP §685.010 10% civil judgment rate per research.
Federal minimum wage $7.25/hr; kickback primarily protects lower-wage workers
Research federal floor section.
Illinois 820 ILCS 115/9.5 — necessary expenditures; 30-day submit; reasonable written caps; primary benefit to employer
Research Illinois section.
New York §198-c and Pennsylvania WPCL are agreement-based, not free-standing general duties
Research NY/PA sections.
4 claims
Cochran requires reasonable percentage of personal cell-phone bill when use is required, regardless of unlimited plan or marginal cost
Cite is 228 Cal. App. 4th 1137 (2014) — not the SERP snapshot's 209 typo.
Thai rejected the government stay-home proximate-cause defense for remote-work expenses under §2802
Thai v. IBM, 93 Cal. App. 5th 364 (2023).
Gattuso allows actual expense, unit rate, or lump-sum with identification + adequacy proof
Gattuso, 42 Cal. 4th 554 (2007).
Townley limits ordinary occupational slip-resistant shoes outside §2802
Boundary case included; Aguilar omitted per research fact-check note.
1 claim
No court has fixed a universal cell-phone percentage; article does not treat a 30–50% range as black-letter
Conscious non-assertion of a fixed percentage matches research fact-check handling.
1 claim
Williams Amazon remote-internet settlement $950,000 final approval January 23, 2024
Research Partial flags class size/period beyond docket + amount; article only states amount + final-approval date.
1 claim
IRC §67(g) suspension of miscellaneous itemized deductions for unreimbursed employee expenses made permanent (OBBBA 2025)
Matches research recent-changes and FAQ deduction path.
1 claim
Massachusetts regulation is transportation-scoped, not a general cell-phone statute
454 CMR 27.04(4).
1 claim
Work location controls multi-state duty, not headquarters
Research multi-state section scenarios restated.
1 claim
"Required" phone use can be practical (calls/texts/apps) without written BYOD policy
Research cell-phone section "Required is practical" framing.
1 claim
Mileage is a satellite; IRS rate is tax safe harbor not federal reimbursement mandate
Article correctly defers rate detail to mileage surfaces; does not restate IRS cents incorrectly.
14 unique sources cited across the report — click to audit any claim directly against its evidence.
Every claim above links to the source we used. Open any source to compare the wording here with the underlying rule, guidance, court opinion, or product behavior.
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