2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 17a - Social and Human Services and Resources
Chapter 319a - Child Welfare
Section 17a-101e - Employer prohibited from discriminating or retaliating against employee who makes good faith report or testifies re child abuse or neglect. Immunity from civil or criminal liability. False report of child abuse. Referral to office of the Chief State’s Attorney. Penalty.

(a) No employer shall (1) discharge, or in any manner discriminate or retaliate against, any employee who in good faith makes a report pursuant to sections 17a-101a to 17a-101d, inclusive, and 17a-103, testifies or is about to testify in any proceeding involving child abuse or neglect, or (2) hinder or prevent, or attempt to hinder or prevent, any employee from making a report pursuant to sections 17a-101a to 17a-101d, inclusive, and 17a-103, or testifying in any proceeding involving child abuse or neglect. The Attorney General may bring an action in Superior Court against an employer who violates this subsection. The court may assess a civil penalty of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars and may order such other equitable relief as the court deems appropriate.

(b) Any person, institution or agency which, in good faith, makes, or in good faith does not make, the report pursuant to sections 17a-101a to 17a-101d, inclusive, and 17a-103 shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, which might otherwise be incurred or imposed and shall have the same immunity with respect to any judicial proceeding which results from such report provided such person did not perpetrate or cause such abuse or neglect.

(c) Any person who is alleged to have knowingly made a false report of child abuse or neglect pursuant to sections 17a-101a to 17a-101d, inclusive, and 17a-103 shall be referred to the office of the Chief State’s Attorney for purposes of a criminal investigation.

(d) Any person who knowingly makes a false report of child abuse or neglect pursuant to sections 17a-101a to 17a-101d, inclusive, and 17a-103 shall be fined not more than two thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year or both.

(P.A. 96-246, S. 6; P.A. 97-319, S. 12, 22; P.A. 12-82, S. 10; P.A. 13-53, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 97-319 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re immunity for persons who in good faith do not make a report, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 12-82 added new Subsec. (c) re referral of persons who knowingly make a false report of child abuse or neglect to Office of the Chief State’s Attorney and redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d); P.A. 13-53 amended Subsec. (a) by designating existing provision re retaliation against employee who makes a report as Subdiv. (1) and adding Subdiv. (2) re hindering or preventing employees from making a report or testifying in a child abuse or neglect proceeding.

Nothing in plain and unambiguous text of section suggests legislature intended to authorize private citizens to bring actions on their own behalf. 304 C. 483.

Subsec. (b):

Physician who performs medical examination at department’s request to determine whether reasonable cause exists to suspect child abuse is entitled to immunity under Subsec. for claims arising from that determination, but not for diagnosis or treatment of any underlying injuries. 272 C. 410. Good faith immunity does not apply where trial court found that defendant acted with malice and without probable cause. 287 C. 397.