- 12/06/10 01:03 PM ET
The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear an appeal by Wal-Mart in a class action employment discrimination lawsuit against the retailer.
The court will weigh legal arguments surrounding a suit brought by six women arguing that the company, one of the biggest in the U.S., had promoted and offered better compensation to male employees.
The justices will specifically examine whether or not individuals alleging discrimination can combine their cases into a class action lawsuit. Wal-Mart contends that such cases make it difficult and costly for large organizations to defend. A federal appeals court held in a 6-5 decision earlier this year that the class action suit against Wal-Mart could proceed, prompting the company's appeal to the high court.
The case won't be the first time recently that justices have weighed in on a gender discrimination case. The Supreme Court's 2007 decision upholding a 180-day time limit in which employees must file a discrimination claim prompted outcry from labor and women's rights advocates.
The court's decision in that case prompted Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009, one of the first, major pieces of legislation signed into law after President Obama took office.
The court will weigh legal arguments surrounding a suit brought by six women arguing that the company, one of the biggest in the U.S., had promoted and offered better compensation to male employees.
The justices will specifically examine whether or not individuals alleging discrimination can combine their cases into a class action lawsuit. Wal-Mart contends that such cases make it difficult and costly for large organizations to defend. A federal appeals court held in a 6-5 decision earlier this year that the class action suit against Wal-Mart could proceed, prompting the company's appeal to the high court.
The case won't be the first time recently that justices have weighed in on a gender discrimination case. The Supreme Court's 2007 decision upholding a 180-day time limit in which employees must file a discrimination claim prompted outcry from labor and women's rights advocates.
The court's decision in that case prompted Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009, one of the first, major pieces of legislation signed into law after President Obama took office.
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