Connecticut General Statutes 51-247a – Employer not to discharge employee or require additional hours work for jury service. Eight hours jury duty deemed a legal day’s work. Penalty. Action for recovery of wages and reinstatement. Liability of emplo…
(a) An employer shall not deprive an employee of his or her employment, or threaten or otherwise coerce the employee with respect to his or her employment, because the employee receives a summons in accordance with the provisions of § 51-232, responds to the summons, or serves as a juror.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 51-247a
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- 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.
- Juror: A person who is on the jury.
- Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
(b) Any juror-employee who has served eight hours of jury duty in any one day shall be deemed to have worked a legal day’s work as that term is used in § 31-21 and an employer shall not require the juror-employee to work in excess of said eight hours.
(c) Any employer who violates this section shall be guilty of criminal contempt, and, upon conviction thereof, may be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.
(d) If an employer discharges an employee in violation of this section, the employee, within ninety days of such discharge, may bring a civil action for recovery of wages lost as a result of the violation and for an order requiring reinstatement of the employee. Damages recoverable shall not exceed lost wages for ten weeks. If the employee prevails, the employee shall be allowed a reasonable attorney’s fee fixed by the court.
(e) Any employer who fails to compensate a juror-employee pursuant to § 51-247 and who has not been excused from such duty to compensate a juror-employee pursuant to § 51-247c shall be liable to the juror-employee for damages. The juror may commence a civil action in any superior court having jurisdiction over the parties. Extreme financial hardship on the employer shall not be a defense to such action. The court may award treble damages and reasonable attorney’s fees to the juror upon a finding of wilful conduct by the employer.
(f) Each state’s attorney, assistant state’s attorney and deputy assistant state’s attorney shall collect in the name of the state and by suit when necessary, any fines imposed under this chapter.