A federal judge in San Francisco has granted class-action status to a sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart, making as many as 1.5 million women eligible for compensation. The focus of the lawsuit is whether the company systematically discriminated against women in its pay and promotion policies. Although Wal-Mart says that they will appeal the ruling, experts predict that they will be forced to offer a large settlement.
See "1.5 million in Wal-Mart suit", Greg Burns, Chicago Tribune, June 22, 2004