On April 12, 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed into law several new laws, effective July 1, 2020, aimed at combatting employer misclassification of people who work for them as independent contractors instead of employees. Under the new laws, it is presumed that an individual is an employee unless it is shown otherwise. If an employer misclassifies their employees as independent contractors, the employees can now bring a lawsuit against their employer. If successful, the employee could be awarded any wages, salary, employment benefits, expenses incurred by the employee that would otherwise have been covered by the employer’s insurance, and attorney’s fees related to the case.
If you have any questions about employment misclassification by your employer and would like to speak with an attorney, contact Jeremy Greenberg, Esq.