Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court struck a major blow to a class action sex discrimination lawsuit brought against Wal-Mart when it decided that the case could not continue as a class action. This was the largest class action employment discrimination case in history. Experts have now begun debating the likely effects that this case will have on class action employment discrimination lawsuits in the future. Interestingly, some experts seem to believe that the case will result in more class action lawsuits because the case will require employees to band together into smaller groups–and bring separate class action lawsuits. That is exactly what the lawyers for the women of Wal-Mart are contemplating. Some also think that large employers will attempt to mimic Wal-Mart’s policy of giving store managers almost unbridled discretion to make personnel decisions in order to insulate the company from a large company-wide class action lawsuit.
If you are a current or former female employee of Wal-Mart from Maine, you should contact an experienced employment lawyer to determine if this case affects your rights.