News & Analysis as of

Unpaid Wages MA Supreme Judicial Court

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rejects Compensation Plan Allocating Commissions to Overtime and Premium Pay

On March 28, 2024, in Sutton v. Jordan’s Furniture, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) upheld a Massachusetts Superior Court decision finding the furniture retailer’s commission-based compensation scheme...more

Verrill

Massachusetts Employers Beware: Any Late Wage Payment Means Liability for Triple Damages

Verrill on

Last month, in Reuter v. City of Methuen, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that any late payment of wages by an employer results in strict liability for treble damages under the Wage Act. Prior to this ruling,...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Wage Act Updates: Massachusetts’ Highest Court Finds Limited FLSA Preemption of Wage Act Remedies and Employers Should Prepare for...

Bowditch & Dewey on

MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT RULING – GOOD NEWS FOR EMPLOYERS - It has been a busy Spring for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). On April 14, 2022, on the heels of Reuter v. City of Methuen (see our...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Massachusetts Imposes Additional Potential Liability on Employers for Wage-and-Hour Compliance

Goulston & Storrs PC on

In a departure from earlier court decisions, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has imposed additional potential liability on employers for wage-and-hour compliance. In Reuter v. City of Methuen, the SJC explained...more

Perkins Coie

Failure to Pay Wages Due at Discharge Can Incur Triple Damages in Massachusetts

Perkins Coie on

Late payment of final compensation just became significantly more expensive for employers with workers in Massachusetts. In an opinion on April 4, 2022, Reuter v. City of Methuen, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Massachusetts Employers Be Warned: Telling Employees “Your Wages are Coming, Your Wages are Coming” May Lead to Treble Damages

On April 4, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held, in Reuter v. City of Methuen, that employers are strictly liable for treble wages as liquidated damages if they fail to make timely payments upon an employee’s...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

The Massachusetts High Court Holds That Employers Are Now Automatically Liable For Treble Wage Damages for Any Untimely Paid Final...

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) – Massachusetts’ highest court – recently held that under the Massachusetts Wage Act (“Wage Act”) employees are entitled to automatic treble wage damages – that is, three times...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds That FLSA Preempts Wage Act Remedies for Federal Overtime Violations

On April 14, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that when an employee pursues and succeeds on a claim for the failure to pay overtime wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the employee may...more

Foley Hoag LLP

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules that Employees with Federal Overtime Claims Cannot Obtain Remedies Under the...

Foley Hoag LLP on

On April 14, 2022, the SJC held that where employees’ sole claims for overtime wages rest on the employer’s liability under the FLSA, employees are limited to the remedies provided under the FLSA, and may not receive treble...more

Foley Hoag LLP

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules Employer Must Pay Treble Damages on Late Wage Payments

Foley Hoag LLP on

On April 4, 2022, the SJC held that employers must pay treble damages on late wage payments, even if the employee has not filed a Wage Act complaint with the Office of the Attorney General or a court before the payment is...more

WilmerHale

Massachusetts SJC Rules that Employers are Strictly Liable for Treble Damages for Delayed Wage Payments

WilmerHale on

Overturning nearly 20 years of lower-court precedent, on April 4, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued a landmark decision holding that an employer is strictly liable for treble damages for any late...more

Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP

Massachusetts Wage Update: SJC Overturns Years Of Precedent And Finds That Employers Must Automatically Pay Triple Damages If...

It is well known that if a Massachusetts employer terminates an employee, the employer risks being liable for three times the amount of wages owed if payment is not made on the last day of employment. A lesser known corollary...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Massachusetts Employers Are Strictly Liable for Treble Damages for Late Wage Payments

Bowditch & Dewey on

On April 4, 2022, in Reuter v. City of Methuen, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that employers are strictly liable for treble damages on late wage payments even when an employee has not yet filed suit asserting...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Massachusetts SJC Upends Existing Law, Requires Treble Damages on Late-Paid Wages

Holland & Knight LLP on

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) on April 4, 2022, handed down a decision with major implications for Massachusetts employers accused of wage-and-hour law violations or late payment of wages. In Reuter v. City...more

Goodwin

No Safe Harbor for Late Payments to Massachusetts Employees: Pay on Time or Pay Triple

Goodwin on

On April 4, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) issued its decision in Reuter v. City of Methuen, holding that an employer must pay treble (triple) damages if the organization is late in paying the wages of...more

Littler

Massachusetts High Court Expands Employer Liability for Late Payment of Wages

Littler on

In Reuter v. City of Methuen (April 4, 2022), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court expanded an employer’s liability for the late payment of wages.  Generally, Massachusetts law requires that an employer that terminates an...more

BakerHostetler

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Abrogates Employers’ Sole Defense to Automatic Treble Damages Liability for Late Final Wage...

BakerHostetler on

On April 4, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court handed employees there yet another victory in Reuter v. City of Methuen, holding that they are automatically entitled to triple damages for any late payment of final wages...more

Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP

SJC Holds Employers Liable for Full Amount of Treble Damages When Wages Are Paid Late

On April 4, 2022, the Supreme Judicial Court issued its opinion in Reuter v. City of Methuen, SJC-13121, holding that where an employer fails to pay a terminated employee wages on the “day of discharge” as required by the...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts SJC: Employers Are Strictly Liable for Treble Damages for Late, Pre-Suit Wage Payments

On April 4, 2022, in Reuter v. City of Methuen, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) held that employers are strictly liable for treble damages for making late wage payments, even when an employee has not yet filed...more

Conn Kavanaugh

Late Payment of Wages Means Triple Liability for Employers Even If Wages Are Paid Before Suit is Filed

Conn Kavanaugh on

On April 4, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) dispelled the notion that employers can avoid triple liability for late payment of wages under the Massachusetts Wage Act, M.G.L. c. 149, § 148 (“Wage Act”),...more

Conn Kavanaugh

Beware of the Wage Act – Review Pay Plans for Commission Based Inside Salespersons and Stay Alert for Future Claims

Conn Kavanaugh on

In early May, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that 100% commission-based inside salespersons are entitled to separate, additional overtime pay and premium pay for Sunday work. The decision, Sullivan v. Sleepy’s...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Massachusetts Highest Court Refuses to Award a Triple Windfall

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: A recent decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court limits the scope of the Wage Act to exclude sick time payments and potentially other types of contingent compensation. ...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts High Court Addresses Investors’ and Boards of Directors’ Liability Under the Wage Act

Investors and members of boards of directors concerned about liability under the Massachusetts Wage Act, M.G.L. c. 149, § 148, can breathe a little easier after the Supreme Judicial Court’s (SJC) decision in Segal v....more

Littler

Massachusetts High Court Rules that Investors and Board Members are not Personally Liable for Unpaid Wages Under State Law

Littler on

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently held that individuals acting as board members and investors cannot be held personally liable under the Massachusetts Payment of Wages Law, M.G.L. c. 149, § 148, for a...more

24 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 1

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide