Walmart Class Action Lawsuit Sales Tax
Attention Walmart (and Sam’s Club) shoppers!
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., which includes Walmart, Sam’s Club, Walmart.com, and Samsclub.com, recently settled a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio which could put money in your pockets. In response to the class action lawsuit, Shaun Brandewie, et al. v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., (Case Number 1:14-CV-00965), the retail giant has agreed to pay up to $5 million in attorney’s fees, expenses, and claims to compensate for un-refunded state sales tax money. The company will distribute this money to qualified consumers in the form of store gift cards/credit.
Here are the details:
The lawsuit claims that Walmart and Sam’s Club stores and their respective web entities short changed consumers returning products across tax districts between May 2, 2010 and July 16, 2015. In other words, customers who purchased items from any of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. retail outlets in one tax jurisdiction and returned it in another, lower tax jurisdiction, were not refunded the full taxes paid on the initial item resulting in a net gain for the company.
Though they claim no wrongdoing, rather than go into litigation over this issue, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has decided to settle and redistribute the funds to qualified customers on a first come, first served basis. In order to qualify for a gift card, users must prove that they made a purchase or received a gift, and returned it within the qualifying period. Furthermore, they must have failed to receive the full amount of sales tax when the refund was issued.
If you believe you are a class settlement member and would like to claim your gift card, you must complete and Online Claim Form, here. For more information or to take some other action in this lawsuit as a qualified claimant, please see the settlement webpage, at www.WalmartSalesTaxSettlement.com or call the company’s Claims Administrator at 1-844-239-6705.