News & Events

April 20, 2006

A no-win situation: You’re fired! Here’s your bonus.

Many businesses use commissions, incentives and stock options to motivate and reward. Employers need to be aware of pitfalls in adopting and implementing incentive plans.

When employees are let go for poor performance, companies tend to stop commissions and bonuses immediately.

However, commission and bonus plans that prohibit terminated employes from collecting have met judicial resistance.

In Maryland, in situations where there is no bona fide dispute about the wages owed, the employee can collect three times the amount owed, plus attorneys' fees. In the District, employees can collect costs and attorneys' fees as well as 10 percent of the wages due for each day they remain unpaid. In Virginia, the courts can order that wages be paid with 8 percent interest and impose other civil penalties on employers. Courts in all three have issued decisions giving employees rights under wage payment and collection laws.

...

DOWNLOAD FULL ARTICLE >

News

March 21, 2023

Michelle Chapin’s Article on the Use of Arbitration Causes in Trusts is Published by the MSBA’s Estate & Trust Law Section

Michelle Chapin, a Principal in Paley Rothman’s Estate Planning department, authored an article titled "(Un)Enforceability of Arbitration Clauses in Maryland Trusts" in the MSBA's Estate & Trust Law Section Newsletter Volume 29 Issue 1.

Read More

Blog

Sec. Deb Haaland – First Native American in the Cabinet

Sec. Deb Haaland is the first Native American to serve in the President’s cabinet and has been instrumental in bringing attention and action to the horrific incident rate of...

Read More

Resource Center

Paley Rothman shares this library of resources with clients and friends of the firm to help them stay ahead of legal and business developments and trends. Here, you will find helpful tips and tools written by our attorneys and relevant to our areas of practice.

Read More