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HRS §398-26

What an employer may owe if they break this law

If an employer violates this law, the department or court can order them to pay the employee for lost wages, benefits, or other compensation, or for actual costs like care, up to four weeks of pay. The employer may also have to pay an extra amount as liquidated damages, unless they can show they acted in good faith.

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The statute, as written — Remedies

(a) In addition to all employment terms and benefits provided under section 398-7, remedies prescribed and ordered by the department or the court under this chapter may include any legal, equitable, and other relief the department or court deems appropriate. (b) Relief under this section may include: (1) The amount of any wages, salary, employment benefits, or other compensation denied or lost to the employee by reason of the violation; or (2) In a case in which wages, salary, employment benefits, or other compensation have not been denied or lost to the employee, any actual monetary losses sustained by the employee as a direct result of the violation, such as the cost of providing care, up to a sum equal to four weeks of wages or salary for the employee. (c) An employer may be liable for an additional amount as liquidated damages equal to the sum of the applicable amount in subsection (b)(1) and (2); provided that if an employer who has violated this chapter proves to the satisfaction of the department or the court that the act or omission that violated this chapter was in good faith and that the employer had reasonable grounds for believing that the act or omission was not a violation of this chapter, the department or the court may reduce the amount of the liability to the applicable amount determined under subsection (b)(1) or (2).
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

Sections this one refers to

§398-7 Returning to work after family leave

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.