Bill > S953

This bill amends the Massachusetts General Laws to further protect employees through a private right of action. The key provisions are: 1. It allows employees to bring a private attorney general action on behalf of the Commonwealth against an employer for violations of certain labor laws, including those related to wages, overtime, and retaliation, without the need to satisfy class certification requirements. 2. It replaces the term "treble" (triple) damages with "double" damages for violations of these labor laws, while maintaining this replacement only as long as the private attorney general action provision remains valid and enforceable. 3. It gives the superior court jurisdiction to hear these private attorney general actions and any accompanying employee claims, regardless of the amount in controversy. 4. It provides that if an employee prevails in such an action, they will recover penalties of $50 per pay period per affected employee, with two-thirds going to the Commonwealth and one-third to the employee(s) on whose behalf the action was brought. The employee may also recover litigation costs and reasonable attorney's fees. 5. The bill includes a provision that allows the court to award up to twice the amount of attorney's fees and costs incurred by the defendant if the court finds the action was filed frivolously within 120 days of the filing.

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https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S953