Wal-Mart loses Minnesota state wage-hour lawsuit

In a recent lawsuit (Braun v Wal-Mart, Inc.), a Minnesota trial court ruled that Wal-Mart violated state law for failure to provide rest breaks and requiring employees to work “off the clock”. The court has already granted $6.5 million in compensatory damages to approximately 56,000 employees.  The court found that Wal-Mart’s failure to compensate their employees was “willful” and fines of $1,000 per violation may be imposed through Minnesota state law. With a finding by the state that Wal-Mart broke the law more than two million times, Wal-Mart could be looking at state fines exceeding $2 billion.  

Wal-Mart currently has more than 70 wage-hour suits pending.