§387-12 Penalties; collection of unpaid wages; injunctions; etc. (a) Civil. Any employer who fails to pay wages in accordance with this chapter without equitable justification or violates this chapter or the rules adopted under this chapter shall be liable:
(1) To the employee, in addition to the wages legally proven to be due, for a sum equal to the amount of unpaid wages and interest at a rate of six per cent per year from the date that the wages were due; and
(2) For a penalty of not less than $500 or $100 for each violation, whichever is greater. The penalty shall be deposited into the labor law enforcement special fund under section 371-12.5.
(b) Criminal.
(1) Any person divulging information in violation of section 387-8;
(2) Any employer who wilfully violates this chapter or any rule, regulation, or order issued under the authority of this chapter; or
(3) Any employer or the employer's agent or any officer or agent of a corporation who discharges or in any other manner discriminates against any employee because the employee has made a complaint to the employee's employer, to the director, or to any other person that the employee has not been paid wages in accordance with this chapter, or has instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under or related to this chapter, or has testified or is about to testify in any proceedings,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000, or by imprisonment for a period not to exceed one year, or by both fine and imprisonment; and
(4) Any employer or the employer's agent or any officer or agent of a corporation who pays or agrees to pay any employee compensation less than that which the employee is entitled to under this chapter, shall be guilty of a class C felony and, notwithstanding section 706-640, be subject to a fine of not less than $500 per offense; provided that each violation shall be deemed a separate offense.
(c) Collection suits; attorney's fee; assignments; relief from costs. Action to recover the liability may be maintained in any court of competent jurisdiction by any one or more employees for and in behalf of oneself or themselves and other employees similarly situated, or the employee or employees may designate an agent or representative to maintain action for and in behalf of all employees similarly situated. The court in the action shall, in addition to any judgment awarded to the plaintiff or plaintiffs, in the event the plaintiff or plaintiffs prevail, allow a reasonable attorney's fee to be paid by the defendant and costs of the action. At the request of any person paid less than the amount to which the person is entitled under this chapter, the director may take an assignment in trust for the assigning employee of the full amount to which the employee is entitled under this subsection and may bring any legal or administrative action necessary to collect the claim, and the employer shall be required to pay the costs and reasonable attorneys' fees as may be allowed by the court or administrative agency in the event the director prevails. The director shall not be required to pay the filing fee or other costs in connection with the action, including the opposing party's attorney's fees and costs. The director, in case of suit, may join various claimants against the same employer in one cause of action. The right provided by this subsection to bring an action by or on behalf of any employee, and the right of any employee to become a party plaintiff to the action, shall terminate upon the filing of a complaint or commencement of an administrative proceeding by the director in an action in which restraint is sought of any further delay in the payment of unpaid minimum wages, or the amount of unpaid overtime compensation owing to the employee under section 387-2 or 387-3 by an employer liable therefor under this section.
(d) Injunctions.
(1) Whenever it appears to the director that any employer is engaged in any act or practice that constitutes or will constitute a violation of this chapter, or of any regulation, the director may, at the director's discretion, bring an action in the circuit court of the circuit in which the act or practice complained of occurred to enjoin the act or practice and to enforce compliance with this chapter or with the regulation, and upon a proper showing, a permanent or temporary injunction or decree or restraining order shall be granted without bond.
(2) The circuit courts shall have jurisdiction, for cause shown, to restrain any withholding of payment of minimum wages or overtime compensation found by the court to be due to employees under section 387-2 or 387-3.
(e) Restitution of illegal deductions; effect of. Whenever in the course of an inspection made for the purposes of this chapter it is determined that there has been an illegal deduction of wages under chapter 388, the director or the director's authorized representative may secure restitution of the deductions. If the restitution is made, no prosecution under chapter 388 shall be instituted or maintained. [L Sp 1941, c 66, §10; am L 1943, c 159, §4; RL 1945, §4363; am L 1945, c 15, §1(3), (4); RL 1955, §94-13; am L 1963, c 49, §§1, 2 and c 158, §2; am L 1965, c 132, §1(e); HRS §387-12; gen ch 1985; am L 1999, c 251, §3; am L 2020, c 44, §11; am L 2022, c 300, §2; am L 2025, c 115, §4]
Revision Note
Pursuant to §23G-15, in:
(1) Subsection (a), (1) to (4) reformatted as paragraphs (1) to (4);
(2) Subsection (a)(1) and (a)(2), "or" deleted and punctuation changed;
(3) Subsection (a)(3), punctuation changed; and
(4) Subsection (d), (1) and (2) reformatted as paragraphs (1) and (2).
Rules of Court
Collection suits, maintenance of, see HRCP rules 17(a), 18(a), 20, 23.
Injunctions, see HRCP rule 65.