(a)

lawyer woman

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 Tennessee Code 50-2-204

  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of labor and workforce development. See Tennessee Code 50-2-201
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Employee: means any individual employed by any employer within the state, including individuals employed by the state but not by its political subdivisions, but does not include any individual who is entitled to the equal pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U. See Tennessee Code 50-2-201
  • Employer: includes any person acting in the interest of any employer, directly or indirectly, and includes the state but not its political subdivisions. See Tennessee Code 50-2-201
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) Any employer who violates § 50-2-202 shall be liable to the employee or employees affected in the amount of their unpaid wages, and in instances of an employer knowingly violating § 50-2-202 in employee suits under subsection (b), up to an additional equal amount of unpaid wages as liquidated damages.
(2) For the second established violation of this part in a separate judicial proceeding distinct from the first, any employer who violates § 50-2-202 shall be liable to the employee or employees affected in the amount of their unpaid wages, and instances of an employer knowingly violating § 50-2-202 in employee suits under subsection (b), up to an additional two (2) times the amount of unpaid wages as liquidated damages.
(3) For the third established violation of this part in a separate judicial proceeding distinct from the first and second, any employer who violates § 50-2-202 shall be liable to the employee or employees affected in the amount of their unpaid wages, and instances of an employer knowingly violating § 50-2-202 in employee suits under subsection (b), up to an additional three (3) times the amount of unpaid wages as liquidated damages.
(b) Action to recover wages may be maintained in any court of competent jurisdiction by any one (1) or more employees. The court shall, in cases of violation, in addition to any judgment awarded to the plaintiff or plaintiffs, allow a reasonable attorney’s fee and cost of the action to be paid by the defendant.
(c) No agreement by any employee to work for less than the wages to which the employee is entitled under this part shall be a bar to an action to recover wages, or to a voluntary wage restitution of the full amount due under this part.
(d) At the written request of any employee claiming to have been paid less than the wage to which the employee is entitled under this part, the commissioner may bring any legal action necessary on behalf of the employee to collect the claim for unpaid wages. The commissioner shall not be required to pay any filing fee, or other cost in connection with the action. The commissioner shall have the power to join various claims against the employer in one (1) cause of action.
  Previous section
Next section  
 Part 2 Contents