Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71g (2026)

Penalty

✓ current as of May 2026

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Any employer or any officer or agent of an employer or any other person authorized by an employer to pay wages who violates any provision of this part: (1) Shall be guilty of a class D felony, except that such employer, officer or agent shall be fined not less than two thousand nor more than five thousand dollars for each offense if the total amount of all unpaid wages owed to an employee is more than two thousand dollars; (2) may be fined not less than one thousand nor more than two thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both, for each offense if the total amount of all unpaid wages owed to an employee is more than one thousand dollars but not more than two thousand dollars; (3) may be fined not less than five hundred nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than six months, or both, for each offense if the total amount of all unpaid wages owed to an employee is more than five hundred but not more than one thousand dollars; or (4) may be fined not less than two hundred nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than three months, or both, for each offense if the total amount of all unpaid wages owed to an employee is five hundred dollars or less.

(1967, P.A. 714, S. 7; P.A. 78-358, S. 1, 6; P.A. 93-392, S. 4; P.A. 13-258, S. 98.)

History: P.A. 78-358 made imposition of penalty optional rather than mandatory, substituting “may” for “shall”, imposed minimum fine of $200 and raised maximum fine from $200 to $1,000; P.A. 93-392 increased the maximum penalty for violating the state's wage laws from $1,000 and 30 days to $5,000 and five years, and to allow for the imposition of varying fines and prison terms based on the amount of wages owed by an employer; P.A. 13-258 substituted provision re class D felony for provision re imprisonment of not more than 5 years in Subdiv. (1) and made technical changes.

Cited. 212 C. 294. Structural relationship to Sec. 31-72 discussed. 243 C. 454.

Cited. 36 CA 29; 37 CA 379.

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Notes of Decisions

Cited in 9 cases, 1994–2010 · leading case: Butler ex rel. Skidmore v. Hartford Technical Inst., Inc., 704 A.2d 222 (Conn. 1997).

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Butler ex rel. Skidmore v. Hartford Technical Inst., Inc., 704 A.2d 222 (Conn. 1997). · cites it 9× “” Under the plaintiffs interpretation, the fact that Hartec was Skidmore’s employer does not preclude the defendant, as the individual in the corporation with exclusive authority to set Skidmore’s hours of employment and wages and whose exercise of that authority was the direct…”

Weems v. Citigroup, Inc., 961 A.2d 349 (Conn. 2008). · cites it 7× “The statute does not, however, expressly invalidate deductions made on unapproved forms, and the only penalty provision that arguably is implicated by the failure to seek department approval is General Statutes § 31-71g, 24 which does not invalidate the transaction, but provides…”

Ziotas v. Reardon Law Firm, PC, 997 A.2d 453 (Conn. 2010). · cites it 4× “Under General Statutes § 31-71g, 15 the employer may be fined up to $5000 or imprisoned up to five years, or both, for violating § 31-72.”

State v. Lynch, 948 A.2d 1026 (Conn. 2008). · cites it 6× “” Pursuant to General Statutes § 31-71g, an employer who fails to comply with the foregoing provisions “may be: (1) Fined not less than two thousand nor more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than five years or both for each offense if the total amount of all…”

State v. Merdinger, 655 A.2d 1167 (Conn. App. Ct. 1995). · cites it 3× “We are not persuaded that General Statutes § 31-71g, 5 which provides for penalties of $200 to $1000 and not more than thirty days or both, does violence to this principle.”

Haynes Constr. Co. v. Cascella & Son Constr., Inc., 647 A.2d 1015 (Conn. App. Ct. 1994). · cites it 2× “General Statutes § 31-71g provides for fines and imprisonment for such violations.”

Drybrough v. Acxiom Corp., 172 F. Supp. 2d 366 (D. Conn. 2001). “§ 31-71g. In addition, when an employer fails to pay an employee wages under § 31-71c or fringe benefits under § 31-76k, the employee may recover in a civil action twice the amount of the wage or fringe benefit owed him, as well as costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.”

State v. Nanowski, 746 A.2d 177 (Conn. App. Ct. 2000). · cites it 8× “is unconstitutional 4 as applied to him because the increased penalty for conviction imposed by the legislature in its 1993 amendments to General Statutes § 31-71g; 5 see Public Acts 1993, No.”

Stockmar v. Warrec Co., 844 F. Supp. 103 (D. Conn. 1994). · cites it 3× “Conn.Gen.Stat. § 31-71g states: Any employer or any officer or agent of an employer or any other person authorized by an employer to pay wages who violates any provision of sections 31-7la to 31 — 71 i, inclusive, may be fined not less than two hundred nor more than one thousand…”

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