Penalties for Violating Family and Medical Leave Laws

Violating family and medical laws subjects employers to a civil lawsuit or administrative proceeding. Employers are liable if they unlawfully interfere with an employee’s exercise of CFRA or FMLA rights.¹ An employer may be required to:

• Pay actual damages for injuries or losses that the complainant suffered, including loss of back pay and front pay for lost future wages where reinstatement is inappropriate
• Pay compensatory damages for pain, suffering, humiliation and embarrassment
• Pay punitive damages
• Pay attorneys’ fees