Judge rejects $80M penalty in Wal-Mart truck drivers lawsuit
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Wednesday refused to force Wal-Mart to pay $80 million in penalties in a lawsuit alleging the retail giant failed to pay hundreds of truck drivers in California the minimum wage for certain tasks.
Wal-Mart acted in good faith when paying the drivers and had reason to believe its payment policy aligned with California law, according to U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco.
A jury awarded the workers more than $54 million in back wages in November after finding that Wal-Mart didn’t pay the drivers the state’s base wage for inspecting their vehicles before and after trips and for taking 10-hour layovers and 10-minute rest breaks.
Attorneys for the drivers had asked Illston to award an additional $80 million in penalties and damages. An email to their lawyer was not immediately returned Wednesday.