No employer shall discharge or discipline an employee or refuse to hire a person for reason that an assignment of earnings has been presented in settlement of a support debt or that a support lien or order to withhold and deliver has been served against said employee's earnings. If an employer discharges or disciplines an employee or refuses to hire a person in violation of this section, the employee or person shall have a cause of action against the employer. The employer shall be liable for double the amount of lost wages and any other damages suffered as a result of the violation and for costs and reasonable attorney fees, and shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars for each violation. The employer may also be ordered to hire, rehire, or reinstate the aggrieved individual.
RCW 74.20A.230
Employee debtor rights protected—Remedies.
Applied in 1 court decision — leading case 95 Wash. App. 486 - Lins v. Children's Discovery Centers of America, Inc. (1999)
Most recently applied in 95 Wash. App. 486 - Lins v. Children's Discovery Centers of America, Inc. (May 1999)
1985 c 276 s 11; 1973 1st ex.s. c 183 s 21; 1971 ex.s. c 164 s 23.
Official source: Washington State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Washington statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.