A $0.48 comb could escalate into a lawsuit worth thousands of dollars. Essie Grundy, a California resident, filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court in Riverside County. The filing stems from several shopping trips Grundy took to Walmart, during which she succumbed to asking an employee to unlock a cosmetic counter. The beauty products behind the glass, Grundy argues, were specific to only African American use. On one particular occasion, Grundy asked to see a $0.48 comb from behind the glass and was not allowed to physically take the comb until an employee walked it up to the register to be purchased. Feeling racially attacked, Grundy proceeded with legal action. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Walmart
Enter Walmart for Melons, Leave with a Broken Hip
Based on the evidence presented by opposing parties, a jury is faced with the dilemma of determining whether a particular lawsuit is frivolous or legitimate. The 1994 McDonald’s coffee lawsuit paved the way for public speculation of seemingly litigious lawsuits. The black and white version is that a customer sustained permanent injuries and someone had to pay the consequences. The gray line was left for the jury to determine: whether or not the customer or McDonald’s was negligent in the situation. In that particular case, the jury felt that the fast food chain carried the burden of responsibility more so than the injured party. A similar decision was met in the recent case of Henry Walker vs. Walmart. Continue reading
Corporate Executives Stand Tall On Worker’s Shoulders
Despite the current upswing in revenue, large American corporations have decided to keep employee wages uncomfortably low while corporate profits increase. Of the 12 companies that are paying their American employees the least, 7 are in the restaurant industry. These include, McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Starbucks, Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Red Lobster), Dine Equity (Applebee’s, IHOP), and Yum! Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC). These companies are within the confides of the law with the nation’s minimum wage regulations, but these employees are getting less bang for their buck than they should. The current minimum wage is worth 30% less in terms of purchasing power than it was in 1968. The other offenders of this immoral salary situation are national retail giants like Walmart, Target, and Sears. Being compared to Walmart is rarely a good thing. In this scenario Walmart is an especially bad company, since it is pretty well known that the Walmart CEO, Mike Duke, makes more in one hour than one of his employees makes in an entire year.