Workforce Bulletin

In a recent decision from the Business Litigation Session of the Massachusetts Superior Court, Laughlin v. BinStar, Inc., the court held that the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law (PFML) does not impose individual liability and does not recognize aiding-and-abetting claims. The decision highlights key differences between the PFML and other laws covering Massachusetts employers, and holds that, unlike statutes that expressly permit claims against individual corporate officers and agents, the PFML limits liability to the employer entity itself.

Last year, Massachusetts joined the growing list of states with pay equity legislation by passing an Act Relative To Salary Range Transparency (the “Law”). As we previously reported, the pay data reporting requirements of the Law went into effect earlier this year, requiring most large private employers to submit annual wage data reports to the Commonwealth. Employers need to be prepared to comply with the Law’s pay range disclosure requirements going into effect next month.