On August 28, 2013, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray signed the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Act. This act contained the District of Columbia Wage Theft Prevention Amendment Act of 2013, which went into effect October 1, 2013. The D.C. Wage Theft Prevention Amendment Act allows employees who are owed unpaid wages to collect both the amount of wages they are owed, plus additional damages up to three times the amount of unpaid wages owed. Under the new damages calculations, employees can recover a total of up to four times the amount they are owed in unpaid wages. The Act also empowers the D.C. Department of Employment Services, Office of Wage and Hour Compliance and the DC Office of the Attorney General, the local agencies that enforce the D.C. wage laws, to more easily pursue damage multipliers. Prior to the amendment, these departments would often only recover the actual amount of unpaid wages owed. If an employee wanted a damage multiplier, they would have to hire an attorney and file a lawsuit. The new enhanced damages are an important tool in the fight against wage theft. Without damage multipliers such as this, there is very little that deters employers from committing wage violations. Increased damages also benefit employees by making up for harm caused by the delayed payment of owed wages, such as late fees on bill payments. If you work in Washington, D.C. and feel you have been improperly paid, the attorneys at Lebau & Neuworth may be able to help. Partner Stephen B. Lebau is licensed to practice in the District and is very experienced in litigating these types of cases. For more information go to: http://lebauneuworth.com/.
