Wally-World on the hook for $6.5M – for now

A Minnesota state judge found that Wal-Mart violated state labor laws more than 2 million times and so owes affected employees that amount, the AP reports.

“We believe that this award not only helps the individual clients, but it also sends a message to Wal-Mart that it has to pay for its mistakes,” said Justin Perl, an attorney representing the former Wal-Mart employees named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

But wait, that’s not all!

Wally-World could eventually be on the hook for punitive damages and civil penalties; the jury will decide those in October.

And, given just what Wally-World put some employees through, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, punitive damages are very possible:

Nancy Braun, one of four named plaintiffs on the suit, said Tuesday that she was “ecstatic” about the judge's decision. Braun, who worked in an Apple Valley store for about 14 months beginning in March 1998, said the store repeatedly didn't find people to give her breaks when she was the sole cook and waitress at the store's grill.

In several instances no one came in time for her to go to the bathroom. “I would end up soiling myself,” said Braun, now 53 and living in Rochester. “Sometimes I’d have other clothes with me in my locker, or they would say to me, ‘We have clothes in the store you can buy.’”

Can a Minnesota jury consider something besides cash dollars as part of punitive damages? After reading this and other tales, I have an idea or two …