Title 28
Labor and Labor Relations

Chapter 6
Wage Discrimination Based on Sex

R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-6-20

§ 28-6-20. Civil liability of employer for sex differential — Actions. [Effective until January 1, 2023.]

An employer who the provisions of § 28-6-18 shall be liable to the employee or employees affected in the amount of their unpaid wages, and in an additional equal amount of liquidated damages. An action to recover the liability may be maintained in any court of competent jurisdiction by any one or more employees for and in behalf of himself or herself or themselves and other similarly situated employees. At the request of any employee paid less than the wage to which he or she is entitled under §§ 28-6-17 — 28-6-21, the director of labor and training may take an assignment of the wage claim in trust for the assigning employee and may bring any legal action necessary to collect the claim, and the liquidated damages provided for above. The director of labor and training shall not be required to pay the filing fee or other costs in connection with the action. The director of labor and training shall have the power to join various claimants against the employer in one cause of action.

History of Section.
P.L. 1946, ch. 1786, § 4; G.L. 1956, § 28-6-20.

§ 28-6-20. Liability of employer. [Effective January 1, 2023.]

(a) Any employee or former employee aggrieved by a violation of §§ 28-6-18(a) through (i) shall be entitled to the same protections and relief as under § 28-14-19.2(a).

(b) An employer who violates § 28-6-22 shall be liable for any compensatory damages; or special damages not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000); appropriate equitable relief; and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. In setting the amount of damages, the appropriate finder of fact should consider the size of the employer’s business; the good faith of the employer; the gravity of the violation; the history of previous violations; and whether or not the violation was an innocent mistake or willful.

History of Section.
P.L. 1946, ch. 1786, § 4; G.L. 1956, § 28-6-20; P.L. 2021, ch. 168, § 2, effective January 1, 2023; P.L. 2021, ch. 169, § 2, effective January 1, 2023.