Wal-Mart may be facing billions of dollars in legal damages due to a class action suit alleging gender discrimination over how their women employees are treated differently then men. The suit claims that women are paid less then men for the same jobs as well as receive fewer and have to wait longer for promotions.

Six women employees, who have worked for as many as 13 Wal-Mart stores, wish to represent every women who have worked in the stores since 2001 (may go back to 1998 when the claim was filed).  Wal-Mart’s lawyer Jeff Gearhart is pushing to appeal this case in the US Supreme Court, as he argues that the claim of 6 individuals are not representative of the rest of the female employees. So far, the retailer has lost two rulings in trial court and another in appeals court.

Burt Flickinger, retail consultant, said the ruling was “a big black eye for Wal-Mart, and it’s not going to heal anytime in the near future,” in concern that it may effect women shoppers when the Retailer’s competitors are applying increased pressure.

Wal-Mart’s fourth-quarter results announced just this year, revealed a drop in sales for the first time for its US stores since 1969.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20100426/US.Wal.Mart.Discrimination/