The Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act (EPA or “the Act”), went into effect in New Jersey on July 1, 2018. N.J.S.A. 10:5-12(t). The EPA amends the already expansive New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD). The EPA was named for recently retired New Jersey State Senator Diane B. Allen, who experienced wage discrimination herself while working as a TV anchor.

The EPA is unprecedented in breadth and scope in pay disparity claims. Like the LAD, the EPA applies to virtually all public and private employers in New Jersey regardless of size or industry. N.J.S.A. 10:5-5(f). The Act also applies to all protected classes identified in the LAD, including race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, sex, gender identity or expression, disability or atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait of any individual, or liability for service in the armed forces. N.J.S.A. 10:5-12(t).