Legal Momentum Supports Women of Wal-Mart

Signs onto amicus brief in support of class certification.

March 28, 2011 -

In 2001, several female Wal-Mart employees filed a court case against Wal-Mart claiming that their male counterparts were paid more and were promoted more often in violation of Title VII, the federal law that prohibits employment discrimination based on sex. 

The federal district court in 2004 ruled in favor of plaintiffs’ request that the case be certified as a class action on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of similarly situated women who are or have been employed by Wal-Mart.  In April 2010, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld class certification. Wal-Mart decided to take the issue to the Supreme Court, which agreed to review the class certification in December.

On March 29th, plaintiffs and Wal-Mart argued their case in front of the Supreme Court.  If the Supreme Court reverses the class certification order, each woman employee desiring relief from discrimination might have to file an individual suit against Wal-Mart, the largest corporation and private employer in the United States.  This would be an insurmountable obstacle for many, perhaps most, of the women employed by Wal-Mart.

Legal Momentum has signed onto an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs' argument that class certification was proper and should be upheld. 

Learn more about Legal Momentum's work for victims of employment discrimination.