This Jackson Lewis LLP Law Firm Publication discusses Ryan v. Kellogg Partners Institutional Servs., in which the New York Court of Appeals recently held that an employer violated the New York Labor Law when it failed to pay a bonus that it orally promised to an employee. The bonus was protected by the New York Labor Law because it had been "earned" by the employee. The New York Labor Law affords greater remedies than the common law to employees who seek to recover wages from their employer, including liquidated damages, attorneys' fees and interest.