Jury Duty Leave and Pay Requirements in Wyoming
At a glance
| Governing law | Wyo. Stat. § 1-11-401 (protection of jurors' employment) |
|---|---|
| Jury service covered | Jury service, and attendance or scheduled attendance in connection with jury service, in any court in the state of Wyoming (§ 1-11-401(a)); the section does not separately spell out federal-court coverage beyond 'any court in the state' |
| Employers and employees covered | Written as a flat duty of any 'employer' toward any 'employee'; the section states no employer-size, tenure, or full-time gate |
| Time-off entitlement | Employer shall not discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate, or coerce any employee by reason of the employee's jury service or scheduled attendance in connection with it (§ 1-11-401(a)); the absence is protected |
| Employer-paid wages | None. Section 1-11-401 contains no wage-continuation requirement; Wyoming does not require a private employer to pay wages for jury service |
| PTO and juror-fee treatment | The section does not authorize compelling use of vacation, sick, or other paid leave and does not address offsetting court juror fees against wages; a reinstated employee participates in insurance and other benefits under the employer's furlough/leave rules (§ 1-11-401(c)) |
| Employee notice and proof | The section imposes no express advance-notice period, written-notice form, or summons-copy requirement on the employee |
| Scheduling and return-to-work rules | No shift-rest window, minimum-release period, same-day-return limit, or long-trial rule appears in § 1-11-401 |
| Job protection and remedies | A court may enjoin further violations and grant other relief including reinstatement; the employer is liable for exemplary damages set by the court up to $1,000 per violation per employee, plus reasonable costs and attorney fees (§ 1-11-401(b)); a reinstated employee is treated as on furlough/leave and reinstated without loss of seniority (§ 1-11-401(c)); suit must be brought within 6 months (§ 1-11-401(d)); a prevailing employer may recover a fee if the action was frivolous, vexatious, or in bad faith (§ 1-11-401(e)) |
Protected job, no required pay
Wyoming's jury-employment rule is Wyo. Stat. § 1-11-401. No employer may discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate, or coerce an employee because of the employee's jury service or scheduled attendance in connection with jury service in any court in the state of Wyoming. The protection reaches the threat and the intimidation, not just an actual firing.
The statute does not require pay. Wyoming is a protected-but-unpaid state: an employer may keep paying wages voluntarily or under a policy or union contract, but § 1-11-401 does not command wage continuation.
Reinstatement, seniority, and benefits
If an employee is reinstated after a violation, the statute treats the jury period as a furlough or leave of absence. The employee is reinstated without loss of seniority and may participate in insurance and other benefits under the same rules the employer applies to employees on furlough or leave (§ 1-11-401(c)). That protects an employee's standing and benefit eligibility across the service period even though the time itself is unpaid.
The section does not address forced use of vacation or personal leave, and it does not say anything about crediting the court's juror fee against wages. Those are left to the employer's own policy.
Remedies and the six-month deadline
A court may enjoin further violations and order other relief, expressly including reinstatement. The employer is also liable for exemplary damages set by the court, capped at $1,000 for each violation as to each employee, plus the employee's reasonable costs and attorney fees (§ 1-11-401(b)). An aggrieved employee must sue within six months of the alleged violation (§ 1-11-401(d)), and a court may award a prevailing employer its attorney fee if it finds the employee's action frivolous, vexatious, or brought in bad faith (§ 1-11-401(e)).
What trips people up
The six-month deadline is short, and it runs from the violation. An employee who was fired, threatened, or coerced over jury service should not wait; a claim filed after six months is untimely under the statute.
The $1,000 figure is a per-violation cap on exemplary damages, not a fixed award and not a wage-replacement payment. Actual relief centers on reinstatement, restored seniority and benefits, and costs and fees, with exemplary damages set by the court up to that ceiling.
Common questions
Can a Wyoming employer fire me for jury duty?
No. An employer may not discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate, or coerce you because of jury service or scheduled attendance connected to it.
Will I be paid during jury service?
Not by force of this statute. Wyoming does not require a private employer to pay wages for jury service, though many employers do.
Do I keep my seniority and benefits?
If you are reinstated after a violation, the period is treated as a leave of absence, and you return without loss of seniority and with benefit participation under the employer's furlough or leave rules.
How long do I have to sue?
Six months from the alleged violation. Waiting longer makes the claim untimely.
Statutes and sources
- Wyo. Stat. § 1-11-401: protection of jurors' employment, the injunction and reinstatement remedy, exemplary damages up to $1,000 per violation, cost and fee recovery, seniority and benefit preservation, and the six-month deadline — Justia mirror of the 2025 Wyoming Statutes (accessed July 13, 2026); cross-checked against FindLaw.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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