The United States Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the largest employment lawsuit in United States history should proceed as a class action against the world's largest retailer. The lawsuit was brought by Betty Dukes, a store greeter in California, for gender discrimination.
The Supreme Court will decide whether over one million current and former employees can tie their discrimination claims together in a single class action lawsuit. According to the claimants, while over 70% of Wal-Mart's workforce is comprised of women, less than 33% of its management consists of females.
The lawsuit was originally filed in 2001, and has been fought heavily by the retail giant. At issue in front of the Supreme Court is only whether the original lawsuit should proceed as a class action. Liability and merits-based arguments have not been presented. The current case is Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (10-277).
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