Albany, NY - Court: Check Cashing Fees by Employment Agency Illegal

Albany, NY - The state's highest court just ruled that a temporary employment agency with about 18,000 workers in New York was charging illegal fees to cash workers' checks and ordered the company to fork over almost $70,000.

In a 7-0 decision, the Court of Appeals ruled that Labor Ready Inc., made unlawful deductions from the paychecks of workers who wanted to be paid in cash. The company will have to pay $69,888 dollars in restitution, fees and interest, said Christine Pritchard, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

The state Department of Labor began investigating complaints against the company in western New York in 2002 and determined the extra fees violated state labor law.