Every employer or other person acting either individually or as an officer, agent, or employee of another person is guilty of a misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or by both, who willfully does any of the following:

(a) Pays or causes to be paid any employee a wage less than the rate paid to an employee of another sex, race, or ethnicity, as required by Section 1197.5.

Ask an employment law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified employment lawyers
Specialties include: Employment Law, EEOC, Pension and Compensation, Harassment Law, Discrimination Law, Termination Law, General Legal and more.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In California Labor Code 1199.5

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Person: means any person, association, organization, partnership, business trust, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Labor Code 18

(b) Reduces the wages of any employee in order to comply with Section 1197.5.

No person shall be imprisoned pursuant to this section except for an offense committed after the conviction of the person for a prior offense pursuant to this section.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 866, Sec. 2. (SB 1063) Effective January 1, 2017.)