-->da erwartet verm jeder mal auf die schnelle ne halbe Mrd zu machen *gg*

Judge OKs class action vs. Wal-Mart
By Jennifer Waters, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 10:14 AM ET June 22, 2004


CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- A San Francisco judge has certified as a class action a sex-discrimination case filed by current and former female employees against Wal-Mart.

As a class action, the case covers about 1.6 million women.

Wal-Mart said it would release a statement soon about the ruling. Shares of Wal-Mart (WMT: news, chart, profile) fell 76 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $54.18 Tuesday morning.

"I am thrilled," said Joseph Sellers, a lawyer at Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll who represents plaintiffs in the case. Sellers was among the first to first file suit in June 2001 on behalf of a half-dozen women who claimed they were consistently held back from promotions and were paid less than their male counterparts.

The suit prompted an outpouring of me-too claims from women throughout the country, resulting in the largest civil action ever brought against a private company. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart is the country's largest private employer, with more than 1.3 million employees.

"This decision sets the stage for women at Wal-Mart to get their fair share of pay and promotions, which have been denied them for years," he added.


In his ruling, Judge Martin Jenkins said the class can seek punitive damages as back pay for lost earnings and wage discrepancies.

At Wal-Mart's annual meetings two weeks ago, Chief Executive Lee Scott stressed the company's new set of employment goals, which includes new job classifications and pay scales, as well as management and diversity training programs.

If the goals aren't met, Wal-Mart's top executives stand to lose as much as 15 percent of their bonus pay.