Wage theft: civil + criminal exposure stack.
Connecticut's wage theft framework is unusual in including both civil double damages (under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-72) and parallel criminal liability (under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71g). Civil exposure is well-known: 2× damages by default plus mandatory attorney fees plus class action exposure. Criminal exposure is less commonly invoked but exists as separate pressure: willful failure to pay wages can constitute a Class A misdemeanor with up to 1 year imprisonment and/or $2,000 fine per offense. CT prosecutors rarely pursue criminal wage theft cases — but the criminal statute creates leverage in civil enforcement and may be invoked in egregious cases. The dual structure shapes wage compliance strategy.
Civil + Criminal Wage Compliance
Tracks all wage exposure events for civil double-damages exposure. Surfaces criminal exposure for willful patterns. Maintains documentation foundation for narrow good-faith defense.
What those rules do at every wage compliance event.
The hero card configuration: Flag on willful patterns, Critical on civil + criminal stack.
Repeat exposure events on the same worker or pattern across multiple workers can establish willfulness. Willfulness extends civil SOL to 3 years AND opens potential criminal exposure under § 31-71g.
Single wage event = civil double damages + attorney fees. Multi-worker pattern = class action. Willful pattern = criminal Class A misdemeanor (1 year imprisonment + $2,000 fine per offense). The stack creates significant settlement pressure.
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§ 31-72 civil + § 31-71g criminal — independent and additive.
The dual civil/criminal structure is a feature of Connecticut's wage payment framework that distinguishes it from most other states.
Civil framework: § 31-72 double damages
Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-72, double damages are the default for wage underpayment. Worker can pursue civil action for 2× the unpaid amount + attorney fees + court costs. Statute of limitations: 2 years (3 for willful violations). The 2015 Public Act 15-86 burden shift made the employer's good-faith defense narrow and rarely successful. Class action exposure when patterns affect multiple workers.
Criminal framework: § 31-71g
Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71g, willful failure to pay wages can be criminally prosecuted. Two tiers based on the unpaid amount: Tier 1 (over $2,000): $2,000-$5,000 fine and/or up to 5 years imprisonment per offense. Tier 2 ($2,000 or less): Class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year imprisonment, up to $2,000 fine per offense). The criminal statute applies to the employer entity AND to officers, agents, or any person authorized by the employer to pay wages — meaning individual liability for owners, executives, and HR managers.
Teambridge tracks civil exposure and surfaces willfulness patterns.
The combination of double damages + criminal exposure + class action exposure creates the most aggressive wage enforcement framework in the country.
All underpayment events logged.
Each pay period closes with all underpayment events captured: shortfalls, late pay, missed PSL, miscalculations. Cumulative civil exposure tracked.
Repeat events on same worker / pattern surfaced.
Multiple exposure events on the same worker, or same pattern across multiple workers, are flagged as potential willfulness — extending civil SOL and opening criminal exposure.
Individual liability for owners/executives.
Criminal liability under § 31-71g extends to officers, agents, and persons authorized to pay wages. Operators see the individual exposure for their leadership.
Civil + criminal + class action stack.
Settlement pressure is modeled: civil double damages + attorney fees + criminal exposure + class action. Typical values 3-5× underlying shortfall.
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