EMPLOYMENT LAW: Appellate Court holds that punitive damages may not be recovered under Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act (CFEPA)

General Statutes § 46a-104, entitled, “Civil action for discriminatory practice: Relief,” provides: “The court may grant a complainant in an action brought in accordance with section 46a-100 such legal and equitable relief which it deems appropriate including, but not limited to, temporary or permanent injunctive relief, attorneys fees and court costs.”  While the statute allows for attorneys fees, there is no provision for an award of punitive damages in any respect or in addition to attorneys fees.  The Connecticut Appellate Court now resolves a split at the Superior Court level, holding that “[b[ecause the language of § 46a-104 does not explicitly provide for punitive damages, the plaintiff is not entitled to such relief under the statute.”

Tomick v. United Parcel Serv., Inc., 157 Conn. App. 312 (May 19, 2015)