(a) Any citizen denied the rights granted to him by this subchapter may commence a civil action against a public employer or responsible official of a public employer in the Pulaski County Circuit Court or the circuit court of the residence of the aggrieved party, if an agency of the state is involved, or any of the circuit courts of the appropriate judicial districts when any other public employer is involved. Issuance of a cease and desist order by the Director of the Department of Labor shall not be a prerequisite to the commencement of such an action.
(b) Upon written application of the person denied the rights provided for in this subchapter or any interested party, the court having jurisdiction shall fix a day the petition is to be heard within seven (7) days of the date of the application of the petitioner and shall hear and determine the case.
(c) The circuit courts shall have jurisdiction to restrain violations of this subchapter and to order all appropriate relief, including, but not limited to, the disclosure of chemical information, the rehiring or reinstatement of employees discriminated against because of their exercise of their rights under this subchapter, and the payment of any compensation such employees actually lost as a result of such violations.
(d) Those who refuse to comply with the orders of the court shall be found guilty of contempt of court.
(e) In any action to enforce the rights granted by this subchapter or in any appeal therefrom, the court shall assess against the defendant reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation expenses reasonably incurred by a plaintiff who has substantially prevailed, unless the court finds that the position of the defendant was substantially justified or that other circumstances make an award of those expenses unjust. However, no expenses shall be assessed against the State of Arkansas or any of its agencies or departments. If the defendant has substantially prevailed in the action, the court may assess expenses against the plaintiff only upon a finding that the action was initiated primarily for frivolous or dilatory purposes.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.