NJ Justices Shrink Damages Time Window in Wage Class Lawsuit (1)

A tripling of New Jersey’s window to reclaim cash for minimum wage violations doesn’t entitle workers to payments from before the law’s effective date, the state high court ruled in a decision limiting a class action and temporarily protecting employers from the brunt of the expanded law.

Despite the legislature expanding the New Jersey Wage Protection Law’s “look-back” period from two to six years, workers can’t seek liquidated damages for “wage theft” before the August 2019 effective date of the law—creating what the plaintiff bar calls an “absurd result,” but what the high court deemed lawmakers’ intent.

There’s a presumption ...