Mississippi Code 1972 (2023)
Title 71 - LABOR AND INDUSTRY (§§ 71-1-1 — 71-17-7)
Chapter 3 - WORKERS' COMPENSATION (§§ 71-3-1 — 71-3-225)
GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 71-3-1 — 71-3-129)
Section 71-3-83 - Civil and criminal penalties for failure to secure payment of compensation

• (1) Any employer required to secure the payment of compensation under this chapter who fails to secure such compensation is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. If the employer is a corporation, the president, secretary and treasurer thereof shall be also severally liable to such fine or imprisonment as herein provided for the failure of such corporation to secure the payment of compensation; and such president, secretary and treasurer shall be severally personally liable, jointly with such corporation, for any compensation or other benefit which may accrue under this chapter in respect to any injury which may occur to any employee of such corporation while it shall so fail to secure the payment of compensation as required by this chapter.

• (2) Any uninsured employer who knowingly transfers, sells, encumbers, assigns, or in any manner disposes of, conceals, secretes or destroys any property belonging to such employer after one of his employees has been injured within the purview of this chapter, and with intent to avoid the payment of compensation under this chapter to such employee or his dependents, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. If the employer is a corporation, the president, secretary and treasurer thereof shall be also severally liable to such penalty of imprisonment as well as jointly liable with such corporation for such fine.

• (3) This section shall not affect any other liability of the employer under this chapter.

• (4) In addition to the criminal penalties set forth above, and under the same circumstances, terms and conditions as set forth in subsections (1) and (2), the commission may assess a civil penalty in an amount to be determined by the commission on a case by case basis, but not to exceed Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00). Any civil penalty levied and collected by the commission shall be deposited into the Administrative Expense Fund provided for in Section 71-3-97, and any penalty not voluntarily paid may be collected by civil suit brought by the commission.

Codes, 1942, § 6998-42; Laws, 1948, ch. 354, § 36; reenacted without change, Laws, 1982, ch. 473, § 42; reenacted without change, Laws, 1990, ch. 405, § 44; Laws, 1993, ch. 552, § 2, eff. 4/13/1993.