District of Columbia Code Division V. Local Business Affairs § 32-1366. Civil penalties.

(a) An employer or employment agency that the Office finds to have violated this chapter shall be subject to a civil penalty for a first violation of $1,000 per claimant, $ 5,000 per claimant for a second violation, and $10,000 per claimant for each subsequent violation, but not to exceed a total of $20,000 per violation. The Office shall collect the penalty from the violator and distribute the funds collected among any employee or potential employee who filed a claim regarding a violation of this chapter.

(b) Nothing set forth in this chapter shall be construed as creating, establishing, or authorizing a private cause of action by an aggrieved person against an employer or employment agency who has violated, or is alleged to have violated, the provisions of this chapter.