Thursday, May 7, 2009

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law

Retail giant Wal-Mart has reportedly brought their way out of criminal charges in a case that left an employee dead.

Last year, during a holiday sale, a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death when an over enthusiastic crowd of holiday shoppers rushed the doors of a New York Wal-Mart location. The Queens native/Wal-Mart employee, who was described as being "built like a football player" reportedly died of asphyxiation after being trampled. Eleven other people were also injured during the stampede. Prosecutors who have been negotiating Wal-Mart's culpability in this situation have allowed the corporate giant to pay $2 million in lieu of being hit with any criminal charges.

According to news reports, Wal-Mart will donate $1.5 million to Nassau County social programs; and $400,000 will be used to set up a victims' compensation fund. Any victims who accept money from the compensation fund will be barred from filing a civil suit against the corporation.

The attorney for the young man who was killed in the Wal-Mart stampede is reportedly outraged by the settlement. He claims that the prosecutors failed to consult the victim's family before making the deal. The attorney has stated: "The ability of Wal-Mart to, in effect, buy off this criminal investigation demonstrates the epitome of corporate arrogance that has become all too familiar in this day and age, and shows how Wal-Mart has nothing but contempt for the victims of such corporate malfeasance."

[SIDEBAR: We must be attentive and protective of where and how we spend our money! Dollars and profit is the only language that these corporate entities speak. We must discipline ourselves to act accordingly!]

Related Post: CLICK HERE for "A Senseless Holiday Tragedy"

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