WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nov. 7, 2025 — D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has secured more than $127,000 in restitution and penalties from two local employers that used illegal employment contracts requiring workers to repay training costs if they left early, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) announced Friday.
The settlements resolve investigations into George Washington University Hospital and The Hill Preschool, which both imposed “training repayment agreement provisions,” or TRAPs, on nurses and early-childhood teachers. OAG said the agreements violated District law because the training programs did not result in transferable credentials.
GW Hospital will pay $96,998 to 39 affected nurses and $15,000 in penalties. The hospital also agreed to cancel all remaining repayment obligations, end any collection efforts, and refrain from using similar contracts for three years.
The Hill Preschool will pay $11,713 in restitution and $4,250 in penalties. The school must notify current and former employees that the repayment clauses are void and stop using them going forward.
“These TRAP agreements restricted the job mobility of nurses and preschool teachers, financially penalizing them for choosing to change jobs,” Schwalb said in a statement. “The Office of the Attorney General will continue to fight to make sure that workers’ rights are protected and that law-abiding businesses can compete on a level playing field.”
The hospital’s contracts required nurses who left before two years of employment to repay up to $7,500 in training costs. OAG said at least 12 nurses paid nearly $35,000 under those terms, and another 27 were sent to collections.
The Hill Preschool’s agreements required teachers to repay bonuses or training expenses if they resigned before completing a one-year term, sometimes by deducting money directly from their final paychecks.
Since Schwalb took office in 2023, the attorney general’s office has recovered more than $20 million for workers and the District. Workers who believe their rights have been violated can contact OAG’s Workers’ Rights and Antifraud Section at (202) 724-7730 or workers@dc.gov.
