Title 29LaborRelease 119-73

§217 Injunction proceedings

Title 29 › Chapter CHAPTER 8— - FAIR LABOR STANDARDS › § 217

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

U.S. district courts (including the Canal Zone, the Virgin Islands, and Guam) may, for good cause, stop violations of section 215. Under section 215(a)(2) they can stop employers from holding back minimum-wage or overtime pay the court finds due under this chapter, except amounts employees are barred from recovering when the lawsuit starts under section 255.

Full Legal Text

Title 29, §217

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The district courts, together with the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, and the District Court of Guam shall have jurisdiction, for cause shown, to restrain violations of section 215 of this title, including in the case of violations of section 215(a)(2) of this title the restraint of any withholding of payment of minimum wages or overtime compensation found by the court to be due to employees under this chapter (except sums which employees are barred from recovering, at the time of the commencement of the action to restrain the violations, by virtue of the provisions of section 255 of this title).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1961—Pub. L. 87–30 substituted “, including in the case of violations of section 215(a)(2) of this title the restraint of any withholding of payment of minimum wages or overtime compensation found by the court to be due to employees under this chapter (except sums which employees are barred from recovering, at the time of the commencement of the action to restrain the violations, by virtue of the provisions of section 255 of this title” for “: Provided, That no court shall have jurisdiction, in any action brought by the Administrator to restrain such violations, to order the payment to employees of unpaid minimum wages or unpaid overtime compensation or an additional equal amount as liquidated damages in such action”. 1960—Pub. L. 86–624 struck out reference to the District Court for Territory of Alaska. 1957—Pub. L. 85–231 included the District Court of Guam within the enumeration of courts having jurisdiction of injunction proceedings. 1949—Act Oct. 26, 1949, included a more precise description of United States courts having jurisdiction to restrain violations and inserted proviso denying jurisdiction to order payment of unpaid minimum wages, overtime, and liquidated damages in injunction proceedings.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1961 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 87–30 effective upon expiration of one hundred and twenty days after May 5, 1961, except as otherwise provided, see section 14 of Pub. L. 87–30, set out as a note under section 203 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1957 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 85–231 effective upon expiration of ninety days from Aug. 30, 1957, see section 2 of Pub. L. 85–231, set out as a note under section 213 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1949 AmendmentAmendment by act Oct. 26, 1949, effective ninety days after Oct. 26, 1949, see section 16(a) of act Oct. 26, 1949, set out as a note under section 202 of this title. Termination of United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone For termination of the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone at end of the “transition period”, being the 30-month period beginning Oct. 1, 1979, and ending midnight Mar. 31, 1982, see Paragraph 5 of Article XI of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and section 2101 and 2201 to 2203 of Pub. L. 96–70, title II, Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 493, formerly classified to section 3831 and 3841 to 3843, respectively, of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

Functions relating to

Enforcement

and administration of equal pay provisions vested by this section in Secretary of Labor transferred to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1978, § 1, 43 F.R. 19807, 92 Stat. 3781, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, effective Jan. 1, 1979, as provided by section 1–101 of Ex. Ord. No. 12106, Dec. 28, 1978, 44 F.R. 1053.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

29 U.S.C. § 217

Title 29Labor

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73