Gender prejudice lawsuit vs. Wal-Mart too big, claims Supreme Court of the United States

Reports suggest the U.S. Supreme Court has decided unanimously in favor of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in a gender bias case. The 1.6 million claims against the corporation would have amounted to the biggest sex discrimination suit in United States legal history. The only legal recourse for female workers of Wal-Mart is to carry on with personal cases, should they desire. Article resource - Gender bias suit against Walmart dropped by Supreme Court by Newsytype.com.

Trial not okay with such a large suit

The sex discrimination class action filed almost 10 years back by Wal-Mart employee Betty Dukes and five female co-workers claimed that female Wal-Mart workers were routinely passed over for promotions and paid less than comparable or lesser-qualified male workers in the same positions. Over a decade, the class action grew to approximately 1.6 million claimants, a number that was simply too large, said Supreme Court of the United States.

Lower courts gave Dukes and company the go-ahead. This ended in an appeal by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to the highest court in the country. The class action continuing would have changed how sex suits are treated in the future. It would also have cost Wal-Mart stores billions of dollars. According to the Guardian, Microsoft and General Electric were among the corporations that petitioned Supreme Court of the United States with concerns.

The company had no policy

There was no common policy of sexual discrimination against women at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to SCOTUS. Regardless of statistical evidence presented by the plaintiffs as to promotion and pay disparities, the court agreed that personal managers were responsible, instead of the company.

There were "literally millions of employment decisions at once," in the suit, as reported by Justice Antonin Scalia. The claims were "too diverse," he said.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg offered an opinion that dissented somewhat from the majority as reflected by Scalia. She argued that in general, "Wal-Mart's delegation of discretion over pay and promotions is a policy uniform throughout all stores," yet agreed that the class action's scope was too wide.

Individual lawyers equal individual hassle

The Supreme Court of the United States ruling will limit how much money could be claimed in individual lawsuits from Wal-Mart, as reported by New York law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's legal expert Stuart Slotnick. There will likely not be any settlements for the company. It will be under no pressure to do so. Smaller suits can, in theory, be whittled down by the company's legal defense much more effortlessly.

"Now each individual will have to find a lawyer to fight their case, and I would question whether most individuals will want to do that," said Slotnick.

Ruling for Wal-Mart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yScEtPePujE

Information from

Guardian

guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/20/walmart-sex-discrimination-class-action-rejected

Politico

politico.com/news/stories/0611/57343.html

Reason.com

reason.com/blog/2011/06/20/supreme-court-unanimously-reje