Support AlterNet
Do you value the information you're getting from AlterNet? Please show your support with a tax-deductible donation.
Feedback
Tell us how we're doing.
Olbermann Wages a "Nightly, Indefinite" War Against Wal-Mart for Suing Brain Damaged Employee
Got a tip for a post?:
Email us | Anonymous form
Also in Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace
Stock Market Drops 107 Points During Bush's Speech on the Economy
Amanda Terkel Think Progress
Dow Dips Below 8,000; Anxiety, Anger at all Time Highs
Joshua Holland AlterNet
The Spiral Continues: Panic in the Markets
Stirling Newberry Firedoglake
Eight years ago, Wal-Mart employee Debbie Shank was hit by a semi-truck, leaving her severely brain damaged and confined to a wheelchair. Last September, her son was killed in Iraq — a fact she has to be constantly reminded of since the accident left her virtually without any short-term memory.
Wal-Mart paid for her medical fees, but after Shank won $1 million from a lawsuit against the trucking company, her former employer sued her to recoup its medical expenses, despite the fact the settlement left her only $417,000 after legal fees:
But a clause in the retailer’s benefits agreement says the store can recoup medical fees paid if an injured employee receives damages from a lawsuit. Wal-Mart, which earned more than $11 billion in profits last year, sued Shank for $470,000, and won.
MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann has begun a campaign against Wal-Mart, tagging the company one of his “Worst Persons in the World” for four straight nights. Olbermann says he will keep reminding people of “what they’re supporting when they go to Wal-Mart. And we’ll do it nightly, and indefinitely.”
Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley, who called Debbie Shank’s case “unbelievably sad,” said in a statement: “Wal-Mart’s plan is bound by very specific rules. … We wish it could be more flexible in Mrs. Shank’s case since her circumstances are clearly extraordinary, but this is done out of fairness to all associates who contribute to, and benefit from, the plan.”
Tagged as: health, olbermann, walmart, health care, shank
Ali Frick is a Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.
| Also in Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace | |||
| Stock Market Drops 107 Points During Bush's Speech on the Economy That's the kind of confidence Bush inspires these days. Post by Amanda Terkel. October 10, 2008. |
Dow Dips Below 8,000; Anxiety, Anger at all Time Highs The long-held dominant economic paradigm is under fire. Post by Joshua Holland. October 10, 2008. |
The Spiral Continues: Panic in the Markets For those of you who slept well last night, here is what happened. Post by Stirling Newberry. October 10, 2008. |
|