Pa. court orders Walmart to pay $151M

Walmart said the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ordered it to pay about $151 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by employees who claim their meal and rest breaks were cut.

Walmart said the ruling, which it may appeal, would reduce its fourth-quarter earnings from continuing operations by about 6 cents per share.

The suit, filed in March 2002, represented about 187,000 Wal-Mart employees who worked in Pennsylvania between 1998 and 2006.

The case, Braun/Hummel vs. Walmart Stores Inc., began in Philadelphia in March 2002, with plaintiffs alleging that the retailer failed to pay workers for all hours worked and allowing them to take meal and rest breaks. The class period in the lawsuit began in 1998 and ended in 2006. In 2007, the plaintiffs won the judgment, which included back-pay and penalties. Walmart has been appealing that decision, and on Monday, the state Supreme Court again ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. The judgment now stands at $151 million.

The company said it is considering its response to the high court ruling, including pursuing a review by the U.S. Supreme Court.