Wal-Mart cites settlement agreement in same-sex benefits case
BOSTON (AP) — Lawyers for a former Wal-Mart employee who sued the retail chain for denying her same-sex spouse health benefits have asked a federal court judge to approve a $7.5 million class-action settlement.
Jacqueline Cote sued Wal-Mart in 2015, saying the Bentonville, Ark.-based company repeatedly denied medical insurance for her wife before 2014, when it began offering benefits for same-sex spouses.
After Cote's wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012, the couple incurred $150,000 in medical costs.
The proposed settlement agreement would pay for claims by Wal-Mart associates in the U.S. and Puerto Rico that they were unable to obtain health insurance coverage for their same-sex spouses from Jan. 1, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2013.
Wal-Mart and Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders said in a statement that they are pleased they could reach an agreement.
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