The Details
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 10, 2026 that state law requires employers to compensate employees for employer-required security screenings.
Connecticut Supreme Court Case
In the case before the Connecticut Supreme Court, the employer required non-exempt warehouse employees to pass through security screenings after they clocked out at the end of their shift, as a way to help prevent theft (see Del Rio v. Amazon.com Services, Inc.).
A group of workers filed a class-action lawsuit, arguing they should have been paid for the security screenings. Evidence presented in court indicated that even the slowest screenings averaged about 10 seconds, and the fastest screenings required no additional time. However, plaintiffs argued that some screenings took several minutes or longer.
In response to the lawsuit, the employer argued that it wasn’t required to pay employees for post-shift security screenings because:
- They aren’t integral and indispensable to the employees’ duties as warehouse workers; and
- Even if the time spent undergoing mandatory security screenings must otherwise be paid, the de minimis exception applied (meaning the time spent at the screenings was insubstantial or insignificant and as a practical matter could not be recorded for payroll purposes).
The case was moved to federal court and eventually reached a federal appeals court, which then sent it to the Connecticut Supreme Court to address unresolved questions of state law.
In answering the questions, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that state law offers greater protection than federal law by requiring employers to compensate employees in the state for mandatory security screenings at their place of employment. The Connecticut Supreme Court also ruled that no de minimis exception exists under state law.
Next Steps
- Consult legal counsel on the potential impact of the ruling on your operations.
- Review timekeeping policies and practices and ensure that they adhere to applicable laws.