Governor Murphy Announces that He Will Sign New Equal Pay Law on #EqualPayDay

Earlier today, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that he will sign the Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act (the “Act”) on April 24, 2018. The Act, which will be one of the broadest equal pay laws in the country, precludes employers from paying an employee who is a member of a protected class less than an employee who is not a member of that protected class for the same work unless the employer has a legitimate basis for doing so. It will also significantly expand the damages available to aggrieved employees. The Act provides that an employer that is liable for pay discrimination shall pay the aggrieved employee three times the monetary damages that he or she suffered as a result of the discrimination. In addition, the Act extends the statute of limitations for an individual to file a pay discrimination claim up to a maximum of six years. The new law is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2018.