Walmart Inc. must pay a $54.6 million jury award to truckers who claimed the retailer violated California employment law, an appeals court ruled Monday.
In a class-action lawsuit, Walmart truck drivers said they weren't paid for layovers, rest breaks and inspections. Judges for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an Aug. 6 ruling in the drivers' favor by a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The Bentonville-based retailer is reviewing the court's opinion and will explore its options, Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said.
"We continue to believe that our truck drivers are paid in compliance with California law and often in excess of what California law requires," Hargrove said. He added that the company's drivers earn, on average, from $80,000 to more than $100,000 annually.
Walmart ranks fourth on Transport Topics' Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America, with 6,556 tractors.
The case is Charles Ridgeway, et al v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Business on 01/07/2020