§965.  Jury duty; dismissal forbidden; uninterrupted compensation; penalties

A.(1)  No employer shall discharge or otherwise subject to any adverse employment action, without cause, any employee called to serve or presently serving any jury duty and no employer shall make, adopt, or enforce any rule, regulation, or policy providing for the discharge of any employee who has been called to serve, or who is presently serving on, any grand jury or on any jury at any criminal or civil trial, provided the employee notifies his or her employer of such summons within a reasonable period of time after receipt of a summons and prior to his or her appearance for jury duty.

(2)  Any employer violating the provisions of this Subsection shall be required to reinstate all discharged employees at the same employment, wages, salary, benefits, and other conditions of employment enjoyed by said employees before their discharge.  The employer shall additionally be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars for each employee discharged.

B.(1)  Any person who is regularly employed in the state of Louisiana shall, upon call or subpoena to serve on a state petit or grand jury, or central jury pool, be granted a leave of absence by his employer, of up to one day, for that period of time required for such jury duty.  Such leave of absence shall be granted without loss of wages, or sick, emergency, or personal leave or any other benefit.

(2)  Any employer who violates the provisions of this Subsection shall be required to pay the claimant employee his full wages for one day of that period required for jury duty, without reduction in sick, emergency, or personal leave or any other benefit.  The employer shall additionally be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars for each offense.

Added by Acts 1974, No. 469, §1; Acts 1993, No. 950, §1; Acts 1999, No. 76, §1; Acts 2003, No. 678, §2.