(a)  Any employee or former employee aggrieved by a violation of §§ 28-6-18(a) through (i) shall be entitled to the same protections and relief as under § 28-14-19.2(a).

lawyer at desk

Ask a discrimination in the workplace law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified discrimination in the workplace lawyers.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 28-6-20

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Employee: means any person as defined in § 28-14-1. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-6-17
  • Employer: means any person or entity as defined in § 28-14-1. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-6-17
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts

(b)  An employer who violates § 28-6-22 shall be liable for any compensatory damages; or special damages not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000); appropriate equitable relief; and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. In setting the amount of damages, the appropriate finder of fact should consider the size of the employer’s business; the good faith of the employer; the gravity of the violation; the history of previous violations; and whether or not the violation was an innocent mistake or willful.

History of Section.
P.L. 1946, ch. 1786, § 4; G.L. 1956, § 28-6-20; P.L. 2021, ch. 168, § 2, effective January 1, 2023; P.L. 2021, ch. 169, § 2, effective January 1, 2023.