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6 December 2010
Last updated at 17:44 ET
The US Supreme Court has agreed to consider Wal-Mart's challenge to a major lawsuit alleging the retail chain discriminated against female employees.
The class-action suit alleges women at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores have been paid less and promoted less frequently than men.
The case could involve at least half a million workers and billions of dollars.
Wal-Mart has said it did not have a policy discriminating against women.
The firm argues the claims of hundreds of thousands of current and former female employees are too diverse to proceed as a single lawsuit.
The Supreme Court will determine whether all the claims against Wal-Mart can be tried together but not whether the claims are true.
Far-reaching implications Wal-Mart Stores Inc, which is based in the US state of Arkansas, is appealing against a decision by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco that ruled the class-action case could go to trial.
Lawsuits against retailer Costco and others against the tobacco industry could be affected by the Supreme Court's decision.
"The current confusion in class-action law is harmful for everyone - employers, employees, businesses of all types and sizes, and the civil justice system," Wal-Mart said in a statement.
The retailer added: "These are exceedingly important issues that reach far beyond this particular case."
The size of the class-action suit, which dates back to 2001, is estimated to range from 500,000 to 1.5m women, all of whom work or worked for Wal-Mart.
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The class-action suit alleges women at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores have been paid less and promoted less frequently than men.
The case could involve at least half a million workers and billions of dollars.
Wal-Mart has said it did not have a policy discriminating against women.
The firm argues the claims of hundreds of thousands of current and former female employees are too diverse to proceed as a single lawsuit.
The Supreme Court will determine whether all the claims against Wal-Mart can be tried together but not whether the claims are true.
Far-reaching implications Wal-Mart Stores Inc, which is based in the US state of Arkansas, is appealing against a decision by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco that ruled the class-action case could go to trial.
Lawsuits against retailer Costco and others against the tobacco industry could be affected by the Supreme Court's decision.
"The current confusion in class-action law is harmful for everyone - employers, employees, businesses of all types and sizes, and the civil justice system," Wal-Mart said in a statement.
The retailer added: "These are exceedingly important issues that reach far beyond this particular case."
The size of the class-action suit, which dates back to 2001, is estimated to range from 500,000 to 1.5m women, all of whom work or worked for Wal-Mart.
Powered by WizardRSS | Best Membership Site Software