Title 29, LaborRelease 119-110
§1854 Private Right of Action
Title 29 › CHAPTER 20 — MIGRANT AND SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKER PROTECTION › SUBCHAPTER V — GENERAL PROVISIONS › Part A — Enforcement Provisions › § 1854
Summary
If a person is harmed by a violation of this law by a farm labor contractor, farm employer, or similar person, they can sue in federal court. The court can appoint a lawyer for the person if it thinks that is fair. If the court finds the defendant intentionally broke the law, it can order actual money to make the person whole, or a set penalty of up to $500 per person per violation, or other fair court-ordered remedies. Repeated breaches of the same rule count as one violation for the $500 limit. In class actions the court can award no more than $500 per person or $500,000 total. The judge may consider whether the parties tried to settle before suing, and court decisions can be appealed. If a state workers’ compensation law covers a migrant or seasonal farm worker for injury or death, that workers’ compensation is usually the only remedy for that loss, so the worker generally cannot get actual damages here. They can still get the $500 penalties or other equitable relief, but not back pay or anything that changes the workers’ compensation recovery. In cases where workers’ compensation blocks actual damages but the court finds very serious safety violations (like knowingly letting an impaired driver transport workers, repeated safety-rule violations, removing or failing to provide required safety devices, or using an unregistered contractor), the court may award up to $10,000 per person, with class-action limits of $10,000 per person or $500,000 total. If a workers’ compensation claim was pending and later found not to apply, the time limits to sue are paused while that claim was pending.
Full Legal Text
Title 29, §1854
Labor, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Maintenance of civil action in district court by aggrieved person
Any person aggrieved by a violation of this chapter or any regulation under this chapter by a farm labor contractor, agricultural employer, agricultural association, or other person may file suit in any district court of the United States having jurisdiction of the parties, without respect to the amount in controversy and without regard to the citizenship of the parties and without regard to exhaustion of any alternative administrative remedies provided herein.
(b)Appointment of attorney and commencement of action
Upon application by a complainant and in such circumstances as the court may deem just, the court may appoint an attorney for such complainant and may authorize the commencement of the action.
(c)Award of damages or other equitable relief; amount; criteria; appeal
(1)If the court finds that the respondent has intentionally violated any provision of this chapter or any regulation under this chapter, it may award damages up to and including an amount equal to the amount of actual damages, or statutory damages of up to $500 per plaintiff per violation, or other equitable relief, except that (A) multiple infractions of a single provision of this chapter or of regulations under this chapter shall constitute only one violation for purposes of determining the amount of statutory damages due a plaintiff; and (B) if such complaint is certified as a class action, the court shall award no more than the lesser of up to $500 per plaintiff per violation, or up to $500,000 or other equitable relief.
(2)In determining the amount of damages to be awarded under paragraph (1), the court is authorized to consider whether an attempt was made to resolve the issues in dispute before the resort to litigation.
(3)Any civil action brought under this section shall be subject to appeal as provided in chapter 83 of title 28.
(d)Workers’ compensation benefits; exclusive remedy
(1)Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, where a State workers’ compensation law is applicable and coverage is provided for a migrant or seasonal agricultural worker, the workers’ compensation benefits shall be the exclusive remedy for loss of such worker under this chapter in the case of bodily injury or death in accordance with such State’s workers’ compensation law.
(2)The exclusive remedy prescribed by paragraph (1) precludes the recovery under subsection (c) of actual damages for loss from an injury or death but does not preclude recovery under subsection (c) for statutory damages or equitable relief, except that such relief shall not include back or front pay or in any manner, directly or indirectly, expand or otherwise alter or affect (A) a recovery under a State workers’ compensation law or (B) rights conferred under a State workers’ compensation law.
(e)Expansion of statutory damages
If the court finds in an action which is brought by or for a worker under subsection (a) in which a claim for actual damages is precluded because the worker’s injury is covered by a State workers’ compensation law as provided by subsection (d) that—
(1)(A)the defendant in the action violated section 1841(b) of this title by knowingly requiring or permitting a driver to drive a vehicle for the transportation of migrant or seasonal agricultural workers while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance (as defined in section 802 of title 21) and the defendant had actual knowledge of the driver’s condition, and
(B)such violation resulted in injury to or death of the migrant or seasonal worker by or for whom the action was brought and such injury or death arose out of and in the course of employment as determined under the State workers’ compensation law,
(2)(A)the defendant violated a safety standard prescribed by the Secretary under section 1841(b) of this title which the defendant was determined in a previous judicial or administrative proceeding to have violated, and
(B)such safety violation resulted in an injury or death described in paragraph (1)(B),
(3)(A)(i)the defendant willfully disabled or removed a safety device prescribed by the Secretary under section 1841(b) of this title, or
(ii)the defendant in conscious disregard of the requirements of section 1841(b) of this title failed to provide a safety device required under such section, and
(B)such disablement, removal, or failure to provide a safety device resulted in an injury or death described in paragraph (1)(B), or
(4)(A)the defendant violated a safety standard prescribed by the Secretary under section 1841(b) of this title,
(B)such safety violation resulted in an injury or death described in paragraph (1)(B), and
(C)the defendant at the time of the violation of section 1841(b) of this title also was—
(i)an unregistered farm labor contractor in violation of section 1811(a) of this title, or
(ii)a person who utilized the services of a farm labor contractor of the type specified in clause (i) without taking reasonable steps to determine that the farm labor contractor possessed a valid certificate of registration authorizing the performance of the farm labor contracting activities which the contractor was requested or permitted to perform with the knowledge of such person,
the court shall award not more than $10,000 per plaintiff per violation with respect to whom the court made the finding described in paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (4), except that multiple infractions of a single provision of this chapter shall constitute only one violation for purposes of determining the amount of statutory damages due to a plaintiff under this subsection and in the case of a class action, the court shall award not more than the lesser of up to $10,000 per plaintiff or up to $500,000 for all plaintiffs in such class action.
(f)Tolling of statute of limitations
If it is determined under a State workers’ compensation law that the workers’ compensation law is not applicable to a claim for bodily injury or death of a migrant or seasonal agricultural worker, the statute of limitations for bringing an action for actual damages for such injury or death under subsection (a) shall be tolled for the period during which the claim for such injury or death under such State workers’ compensation law was pending. The statute of limitations for an action for other actual damages, statutory damages, or equitable relief arising out of the same transaction or occurrence as the injury or death of the migrant or seasonal agricultural worker shall be tolled for the period during which the claim for such injury or death was pending under the State workers’ compensation law.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1995—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–49, § 1(a)(2), amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) read as follows: “(d)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, where a State workers’ compensation law is applicable and coverage is provided for a migrant or seasonal agricultural worker, the workers’ compensation benefits shall be the exclusive remedy for loss of such worker under this chapter in the case of bodily injury or death. “(2) The exclusive remedy prescribed by paragraph (1) precludes the recovery under subsection (c) of actual damages for loss from an injury or death but does not preclude recovery under subsection (c) for statutory damages or an injunction.” Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–49, § 2(a), added subsec. (e). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 104–49, § 3, added subsec. (f). 1992—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 102–392 added subsec. (d).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1995 Amendment Pub. L. 104–49, § 1(b), Nov. 15, 1995, 109 Stat. 432, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a)(2) [amending this section] shall apply to all cases in which a final judgment has not been entered.” Pub. L. 104–49, § 2(b), Nov. 15, 1995, 109 Stat. 433, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply to all cases in which a final judgment has not been entered.”
Effective Date
of 1992 Amendment Pub. L. 102–392, title III, § 325(c), Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1728, provided that the amendment of this section by section 325(a) of Pub. L. 102–392 would apply to actions commenced after Oct. 6, 1992, but not after the expiration of 9 months after such date, with waiver and extension provisions for certain actions, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 104–49, § 1(a)(1), Nov. 15, 1995, 109 Stat. 432.
Effective Date
Section effective 90 days from Jan. 14, 1983, see section 524 of Pub. L. 97–470, set out as a note under section 1801 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
29 U.S.C. § 1854
Title 29, Labor
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110