Angelo A. Ziotas v. the Reardon Law Firm, P.C.

Summary

The court held that a year-end bonus whose amount is discretionary and not ascertainable by a set formula is not “wages” under the Connecticut wage-protection statute, even when the employer is contractually obligated to pay some bonus. Because statutory penalties apply to withheld wages, treating an indeterminate bonus as wages would create fairness and due-process concerns. The court therefore reversed the Appellate Court’s ruling on the statutory wage claim and directed it to affirm the trial court’s ruling deleting that claim.