sTmykal

Would that I had u235's category, this would be posted under such a heading. Let's see... woman works for Wal-Mart, she has Wal-Marts health insurance, woman gets plowed by a semi truck and is left disabled. Got it?

Wal-Mart pays up for medical coverage. Hooray! Debbie Shank was left with no short term memory and pretty much needs constant care from a nursing home due to brain damage and paralysis. The Shank family says that medical bills were paid promptly. But then...

Wal-Mart decided to sue the Shank family. Why? Because of a clause in the medical coverage, claiming the right right to recoup medical expenses if the employee also receives money for damages from a lawsuit.

So here we have Mrs Shank. Her life was shattered by this accident, so the family sues and settles with the semi truck drivers company, gets some money (awarded $900k, ended up with $400k in a trust fund after legal fees were paid), along with Wal-Mart covering her medical expenses. Wal-Mart says (more or less) "Uh... guess you've got the money to handle things yourself - we need ours back now".

Wal-Mart wants just what it cost to pay for the medical bills (some $450k), plus some interest... oh, and don't forget those legal fees. You can't forget those.

Wal-Mart's excuse (and completely legal standing) is that this is necessary to protect the Wal-Mart employees who are still paying money for coverage. So they're trying to be fair to current employees, who might be scammed by others who would bilk the system for cash.

Ennnh...

You don't treat your employees like sweat shop labor, while grandstanding under the American flag with goods purchased from China and then claim to be doing "what's fair for your workers".

Every day and in every way, Wal-Mart flies its middle finger in the air at the very people who support its four red, white, and blue walls and they eat it up. Indeed... fuck you.

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/news/20050816-spd.html