Rhode Island § 28-14-17 § 28-14-17. Penalty for violations.

Rhode Island Statutes

§ 28-14-17 — § 28-14-17. Penalty for violations.

Rhode Island § 28-14-17

Title 28Labor and Labor Relations

Ch. 28-14Payment of Wages

This text of Rhode Island § 28-14-17 (§ 28-14-17. Penalty for violations.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-17 (2026).

Text

§ 28-14-17. Penalty for violations.
(a) Except as otherwise provided for in this chapter, any employer who or that violates
            or fails to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a
            misdemeanor, and upon conviction of the misdemeanor, the employer shall be punished
            by a fine of not less than four hundred dollars ($400) for each separate offense,
            or by imprisonment of up to one year, or by both fine and imprisonment. Each pay period
            of failure to pay wages due an employee at the time specified in this chapter shall
            constitute a separate and distinct civil violation, separate and apart from any criminal
            viol

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

§ 28-14-17. Penalty for violations.

(a) Except as otherwise provided for in this chapter, any employer who or that violates or fails to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction of the misdemeanor, the employer shall be punished by a fine of not less than four hundred dollars ($400) for each separate offense, or by imprisonment of up to one year, or by both fine and imprisonment. Each pay period of failure to pay wages due an employee at the time specified in this chapter shall constitute a separate and distinct civil violation, separate and apart from any criminal violation provided for in subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Any employer who knowingly and willfully violates § 28-14-2, § 28-14-4, or § 28-14-6 of this chapter shall be guilty of a felony if the actual value of the wages due to an employee exceeds one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500), and upon a plea or conviction thereof, shall be deemed to have committed a felony and shall be imprisoned by a term not exceeding three (3) years, or by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both. In calculating the value of wages due to an employee, the total amount of all wages due the employee, in U.S. dollars, shall be included in the calculation.

(c) Any employer found guilty of violations of this chapter who or that does not pay wages and fines within thirty (30) days of a final decision and after notification by the department of labor and training, may have the employer's business license revoked by the state of Rhode Island until the employer pays such wages and fines in full or enters into a payment agreement with which the employer stays in compliance.

Legislative History

P.L. 1941, ch. 1069, § 8; G.L. 1956, § 28-14-17; P.L. 2004, ch. 84, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 413, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 449, § 1; P.L. 2016, ch. 435, § 2; P.L. 2016, ch. 436, § 2; P.L. 2023, ch. 244, § 1, effective January 1, 2024; P.L. 2023, ch. 245, § 1, effective January 1, 2024.