The 5th. US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a former Wal-Mart employee is entitled to $75,000 in punitive damages, and $19,000 in compensatory damages over a case in which the employee claimed Wal-Mart fired her because of her love affair with a black co-worker. Julie Deffenbaugh, who is white, said she was fired for dating Truce Williams, who is black. Julie worked in jewelry, Truce worked in menswear. In 1996, a federal court jury in Texas found in Deffenbaugh’s favor, but Wal-Mart continued the legal wrangling over the star-crossed love affair. Deffenbaugh testified at her trial that her supervisors at Wal-Mart warned her that she “would never move up with the company being associated with a black man.”
In the Wal-Mart Associates Handbook, it says: “Under no circumstances may a supervisor become romantically involved with someone he or she supervises, or with someone whose terms or conditions of employment he or she may influence. Supervisory hourly associates may not date associates they supervise.” The same Handbook also says: “WE do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. Not only is discrimination against our beliefs, it’s against the law.” That exactly what Truce Williams and Julie Deffenbaugh had to go to court to prove. Wal-Mart says that the company is built on Respect for the Individual. Oops!
