California · Labor Code
LAB §206.5: (a) An employer shall not require the execution of a release of a claim or right on account of wages due, or to become due, or made as an advance on wages to be earned, unless payment of those wages h
Misdemeanor
What this law says, in plain English
An employer cannot require an employee to release wage claims unless wages have been paid. Violating this rule is a misdemeanor offense.
Read the full statutory text
(a) An employer shall not require the execution of a release of a claim or right on account of wages due, or to become due, or made as an advance on wages to be earned, unless payment of those wages has been made. A release required or executed in violation of the provisions of this section shall be null and void as between the employer and the employee. Violation of this section by the employer is a misdemeanor. (b) For purposes of this section, “execution of a release” includes requiring an employee, as a condition of being paid, to execute a statement of the hours he or she worked during a pay period which the employer knows to be false.
Verify at the official source: California legislative text
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