Courts split on Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. won one and lost one Tuesday as state courts in Missouri and New York split on whether worker lawsuits over alleged unpaid wages should be granted class-action status.

A Missouri state appeals court rejected Wal-Mart’s bid to derail a class-action lawsuit by Missouri workers who claimed they were forced by company policy to work after clocking out and during meal and rest breaks.

In New York, the state Supreme Court ruled the opposite way, denying class certification for a similar lawsuit. It said each worker’s claim should be handled individually.

Wal-Mart has faced class-action suits alleging unpaid work in several states. Workers in Pennsylvania won a $78.5-million judgment last year for working off the clock and through breaks. California workers won a $172-million verdict. The company is appealing both. Wal-Mart settled a Colorado suit over unpaid wages for $50 million.