Justices accept appeal over Wal-Mart gender pay lawsuit

Justices accept appeal over Wal-Mart gender pay lawsuit

By Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producer
December 6, 2010 10:32 a.m. EST

Washington (CNN) -- The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether to certify the largest class-action employment lawsuit in U.S. history, a long-standing dispute against mega-retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. over alleged gender bias in pay and promotions.

The case would be among the biggest of the current term, and could establish binding standards over high-stakes liability involving employers large and small.

The justices announced Monday they had accepted the Arkansas-based company's appeal in a case of corporate versus worker rights, and will hold oral arguments next spring. A divided 6-5 ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year had allowed the combined, multiparty litigation to move ahead to one trial, where a verdict against the company could result in billions of dollars in damages.

At issue is whether as many as 1.6 million current and former Wal-Mart employees can band together in their claims of discrimination, which they say has occurred over the past decade, at least. The plaintiffs allege women were paid less than, and were given fewer opportunities for promotion than, their male counterparts. They seek back pay and punitive damages against the world's largest retailer.

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