Walterboro, South Carolina, February 17, 2009 - Colleton County, South Carolina, Judge Perry M. Buckner, III preliminarily approved the settlement of a wage and hour class action suit against Wal-Mart in South Carolina, a settlement that was earlier disclosed by the parties on December 23, 2008. The settlement, which will total up to $49,000,000, concludes more than six years of litigation concerning Wal-Mart’s employment practices in South Carolina. In addition, as part of the settlement, Wal-Mart has agreed to continue to maintain electronic systems, surveys, and notices that will protect the rights of workers.
“We are pleased with the preliminary approval of the settlement by the Court. We hope that WalMart’s industry leading compliance model will set an example for the retail industry” said class counsel Brad Hutto of the law firm of Williams & Williams in Orangeburg, counsel for the class.
“This lawsuit was filed years ago and the allegations are not representative of the company we are today,” said Daphne Moore, WalMart spokesperson. “Our policy is to pay associates for every hour worked and to make rest and meal breaks available. This is a commitment we make to the more than 1.4 million associates who choose to work for WalMart and serve our customers and members every day. We have worked hard to have the right communication, processes, and systems in place to help ensure we live up to this commitment.”
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