Malcolm McComb III walked into a Wal-Mart store in McComb, Mississippi with a $100 bill, and walked out (five years later) with a quarter of a million dollars. He didn’t win an in-store lottery, instead, he ended up winning a lengthy lawsuit against the world’s largest retailer. According to the Clarion-Ledger newspaper, McComb sued Wal-Mart and the police for falsely accusing him for passing phony money. A Pike County Circuit Court Jury awarded McComb damages, but it took McComb nearly five years to win his case. In April of 1999, McComb went to Wal-Mart to shop after cashing his paycheck at a local supermarket. He paid the checkout clerk with a $100 bill. The Wal-Mart “associate” called store officials over, and store employees called in the police. “The male officer told me to empty my pockets,” McComb testified. “I emptied my pockets. He searched me and said I was under arrest for counterfeit money. It made me feel embarrassed and angry.” McComb had to take off work the following day to visit the police station. He was told then that his bill was authentic, and the charges had been dropped. McComb then sued Wal-Mart, and stayed on their case until he got his justice.
Wal-Mart likes to say “our people make the difference.” In this case, the difference Wal-Mart people had to make up was $250,000. Do you suppose Mr. McComb got an apology from Wal-Mart for his five year wait for justice? Don’t bank on it.
