Suppose your company has an incentive bonus plan that bases a bonus on the specific work done during a calendar year. Bonus payments are made 90 days after the end of the calendar year on an “Award payment date.” But your bonus plan has an important provision. That provision states that “Participants must be employed… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: bonus
Breaking: Connecticut Supreme Court Finds A Bonus Can Constitute “Wages”, in the Right Case
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and Regulations, Litigation, Wage & HourBack in June, the Connecticut Supreme Court issued its decision in Ziotas v. The Reardon Law Firm — a significant ruling because it found that where a bonus is discretionary and is not ascertainable by applying a formula, it did not constitute "wages". I talked about the case in a lengthy post and noted that… Continue Reading
A Little Summer Reading: Catching Up on Various Employment Law Articles
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social MediaAlthough many of you have come to rely on the Connecticut Employment Law Blog as your source of information on employment law, it’s always smart to look at other sources of information for a more complete picture. Within the last few weeks, several articles have been recently published that are worth a look. First, the… Continue Reading
Law Tribune Provides Background on Bonus Case and Cites To Blog
Posted in Litigation, Wage & HourEarlier this month, I talked about how a new case from the Connecticut Supreme Court could have an impact on bonus plans for employers. The Connecticut Law Tribune this week (subscription required) echoes many of my sentiments. The Tribune states that some employment lawyers believe it is going to have a "wider impact", while others believe… Continue Reading
Why the Connecticut Supreme Court’s Ruling in ‘Ziotas’ is Significant to Employers
Posted in Wage & HourYesterday, I discussed the Connecticut Supreme Court’s decision in Ziotas v. The Reardon Law Firm, in which the court held that a bonus does not constitute "wages" when the bonus is discretionary and is not ascertainable by applying a formula. I’ve also discussed the background of the case in a prior post which I won’t… Continue Reading
Retention Agreements: How the National Spotlight Now Shines on Connecticut’s Wage and Hour Laws
Posted in Wage & HourUPDATED Various blogs have started to link to this one today after AIG released a white paper to support its assertion that it was required to make payments to various executives and employees over the last week. It turns out that the retention plan at issue is to be construed under Connecticut’s wage and hour laws. As bloggers and commentators will quickly realize,… Continue Reading
BREAKING: Conn. Supreme Court Rules That Bonuses Based on Subjective Factors Are Not Wages
Posted in Wage & HourRemember a Connecticut appellate decision a few weeks ago that suggested that a bonus allegedly promised to an associate could be "wages" under Connecticut’s wage statutes? Indeed, a fellow Connecticut blogger suggested that 2008 was shaping to be a banner year for employees. Well, not so fast. A new Connecticut Supreme Court decision today (and… Continue Reading
Can Bonuses Be “Wages” Under Connecticut State Law? Sometimes, Says Appellate Court
Posted in Litigation, Wage & HourYesterday, I discussed the employment contract portion of a new Appellate Court case, Ziotas v. The Reardon Law Firm (download here). Today, I’ll discuss the second part of the court’s decision on whether the associate’s bonus could be said to be "wages". Why is this important? Because under state law (Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-72), failure… Continue Reading
Appellate Court Upholds Judgment Against Lawfirm for Its Employment Contract With Associate
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, LitigationIn a decision released today, the Connecticut Appellate Court upheld a lower court judgment that found that a local lawfirm breached its employment contract to an associate by failing to pay that associate a bonus. It’s rare to see lawfirms involved in employment disputes, and even rarer, to have cases proceed all the way to… Continue Reading
Sign On Bonus, Accrued Vacation and COBRA Insurance are not “Wages”, Says Superior Court
Posted in Litigation, Wage & HourConnecticut’s wage payment statutes, with the definition of wages found at Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-71a(3), certainly have left courts room to interpret the statute. After all, the definition of wages is merely: compensation for labor or services rendered by an employee, whether the amount is determined on a time, task, piece, commission or other basis… Continue Reading
About Daniel Schwartz
Trusted advisor. Experienced employment law attorney. Bar leader. Award-winning author. Noted Speaker. "Legal Rebel". All can be said to be apt descriptions of Daniel Schwartz, a member of Pullman & Comley. More +
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