Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 15 Sec. 790

  • Court: means the court with jurisdiction over the proceeding. See
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Employer: means any employer or payor of wages of any type to the obligor. See
  • Fees: shall mean earnings due for official services, aside from salaries or per diem compensation. See
  • Wage withholding order: means a transfer from the obligor to the obligee of the right to receive a portion of the obligor's wages directly from the obligor's employer. See
  • Wages: means any compensation paid or payable for personal services, whether designated as wages, salary, commission, bonuses, or otherwise, and shall include periodic payments under pension or retirement programs, workers' compensation, or insurance policies of any type. See

§ 790. Employee protected; penalty

(a) No employee may be discharged from employment or subjected to disciplinary action on account of a wage withholding order issued to an employer against earnings. Any employee discharged or subjected to disciplinary action in violation of this section may bring an action in superior court for reinstatement of employment, back wages and damages and, if that employee prevails, the court shall award costs and may award reasonable attorney’s fees to the employee.

(b) An employer who discharges or subjects an employee to disciplinary action in violation of this section shall be subject to a fine of $100.00. (Added 1983, No. 222 (Adj. Sess.); amended 1985, No. 63, § 14; 1989, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 10.)