A jury in San Bernardino County, California, has ruled against Walmart in a lawsuit, awarding a truck driver and former employee of the retail giant nearly $35 million. The payout judgment comes after the jury decided that the company leveled inaccurate allegations of fraud against the driver and fired him without proper cause.
What happened in the Walmart driver lawsuit?
The jury has ordered Walmart to pay the truck driver, Jesus “Jesse” Fonseca, $25 million as punitive damages. Moreover, the company would have to shell out an additional $9.7 million for future non-economic losses. Fonseca and his lawyers filed a lawsuit against his former employer back in 2019.
Fonseca reportedly sustained an injury in 2017 when his Walmart semi-truck was hit by another semi-truck from behind during work hours, per the 2019 lawsuit. Further, the lawsuit claims that Fonseca opted for workers’ compensation to deal with his medical issues stemming from his injury, but Walmart failed to aid Fonseca in his attempts to follow his doctors’ instructions, which included not handling things more than 10 pounds in weight or driving commercial vehicles.
Walmart put Fonseca, who had been employed at Walmart’s Apple Valley distribution center in San Bernardino County for 14 years, on company-funded medical leave but he was reportedly put under surveillance. According to Fonseca’s lawyers, he was fired because he drove a personal vehicle, which he believed was allowed.
Mohamed Eldessouky, one of the attorneys representing Fonseca underscored the importance of the verdict and the role it might play in future legal disputes between companies and their employees. “If a company decides to question someone’s character and integrity, it must do so carefully and honestly,” he told CBS MoneyWatch. “Walmart should rethink how it treats the hardworking drivers who are the backbone of its business.” (CBS News)
Meanwhile, Walmart referred to the verdict as “outrageous” and claimed that it didn’t demonstrate the “straightforward and uncontested facts of this case.” A spokesperson for the company confirmed to CBS MoneyWatch that they will “pursue all available remedies.”
