New York Consolidated Laws, Labor Law - LAB § 696-f. Civil action

1. On behalf of any employee paid less than the applicable standard rate to which the employee is entitled under the provisions of this article, the commissioner may bring any legal action necessary, including administrative action, to collect such claim, and the employer shall be required to pay the full amount of the underpayment, plus costs, and unless the employer proves a good faith basis to believe that its underpayment was in compliance with the law, an additional amount as liquidated damages.  Liquidated damages shall be calculated by the commissioner as no more than one hundred percent of the total amount of underpayments found to be due the employee.  In any action brought by the commissioner in a court of competent jurisdiction, liquidated damages shall be calculated as an amount equal to one hundred percent of underpayments found to be due the employee.

2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an action to recover upon a liability imposed by this article must be commenced within six years.  The statute of limitations shall be tolled from the date an employee files a complaint with the commissioner or the commissioner commences an investigation, whichever is earlier, until an order to comply issued by the commissioner becomes final, or where the commissioner does not issue an order, until the date on which the commissioner notifies the complainant that the investigation has concluded.

3. In any civil action by the commissioner, the commissioner shall have the right to collect attorneys' fees and costs incurred in enforcing any court judgment.  Any judgment or court order awarding remedies under this section shall provide that if any amounts remain unpaid upon the expiration of ninety days following issuance of judgment, or ninety days after expiration of the time to appeal and no appeal therefrom is then pending, whichever is later, the total amount of judgment shall automatically increase by fifteen percent.