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One of the largest class-action lawsuits in American history that is versus Walmart, Inc. (WMT) has been dealt a blow today as the supreme court has ruled in favor of the company. The court finds that about 1.5 million women is a number that is simply too many to be included in the employment discrimination suit where petitioners allege Walmart pays men more than women. Additionally, the court said that women who feel the desire to seek potential compensation from the company must file individual suits.
The petitioners sought back-pay, punitive damages on behalf of all women who have worked at Walmart. Further than being paid less than men, the group allege women were frequently passed when job advancement opportunities within the company arose. The group had put forth statistical evidence regarding pay disparity of women versus men.
Executive Vice President of Walmart, Gisel Ruiz, noted the following regarding today’s ruling in a statement, “Walmart has had strong policies against discrimination for many years. The Court today unanimously rejected class certification and, as the majority made clear, the plaintiffs’ claims were worlds away from showing a companywide discriminatory pay and promotion policy. By reversing the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision, the majority effectively ends this class action lawsuit.”