close
close

Court confirms compensation for Walmart employees


Court confirms compensation for Walmart employees

A U.S. appeals court has upheld $300,000 in compensation for a former Walmart employee with Down syndrome who, according to the EEOC, was fired because of her disability.

The Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also asked the federal judge on Tuesday to reconsider his rejection of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s request that Walmart change its policies on accommodating workers with disabilities.

The EEOC filed the case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on behalf of former Walmart employee Marlo Spaeth, who worked at a Wisconsin store for more than 15 years.

The lawsuit alleged that Walmart failed to accommodate Spaeth under the Americans with Disabilities Act by changing her work schedule and not allowing her to return to her usual work hours.

The Chicago Court of Appeals affirmed the jury’s finding that Walmart was liable for disability discrimination and was entitled to compensatory and punitive damages.

The jury awarded plaintiff Spaeth $150,000 in compensatory damages and $125 million in punitive damages. However, the Americans with Disabilities Act caps punitive damages at $150,000.

Walmart said in a statement on Wednesday that the company does not tolerate discrimination “of any kind” and “prophylactically accommodates thousands of employees each year. We are evaluating our options.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *