Cal. Labor Code § 1197.2 (2026)

(a)In addition to any other penalty imposed by law, an employer who willfully fails to pay and has the ability to pay a final court judgment or final order issued by the Labor Commissioner for all wages due to an employee who has been discharged or who has quit within 90 days of the date that the judgment was entered or the order became final is guilty of a misdemeanor. For purposes of this section, “final court judgment or final order” means a court judgment or order as to which the time to appeal has expired and there is no appeal pending. If the total amount of wages due is one thousand dollars ($1,000) or less, upon conviction therefor, the employer shall be fined not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or imprisoned in a county jail for not more than six months, for each offense. If the total amount of wages due is more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) upon conviction therefor, the employer shall be fined not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) nor more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000), or imprisoned in a county jail for not less than six months, nor more than one year, or both the fine and imprisonment, for each offense. If there are multiple failures to pay wages involving more than one employee, the total amount of wages due to all employees shall be aggregated together for purposes of determining the level of fine and the term of imprisonment.

(b)As used in this section, “willfully” has the same meaning as provided in Section 7 of the Penal Code.

(c)Nothing in this section precludes prosecution under any other provision of law.