Information contained in this publication is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or opinion, nor is it a substitute for the professional judgment of an attorney.
On May 5, 2010, Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell signed into law "An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Joint Enforcement Commission on Employee Misclassification." The legislation will increase the state's civil penalty for independent contractor misclassification, currently $300 per violation, to $300 per day per violation. It also will expand criminal liability for employers who knowingly misclassify workers with the intent to injure, defraud or deceive the state because of their failure to pay workers' compensation or second injury fund assessments. The new act is scheduled to become effective on October 1, 2010. Nothing in the legislation reconciles the conflicting interpretations of independent contractor status under state and federal law. To continue reading about this development, see Littler’s ASAP Stiffer Penalties on the Horizon for Independent Contractor Misclassification in Connecticut? by GJ Stillson MacDonnell and Stephen Rosenberg.