Walmart Waived Arbitration Rights in Bad Gift Card Class Action

Walmart Inc. must face a proposed class action brought on behalf of disgruntled gift card purchasers after the Eighth Circuit ruled that the retail giant waived any rights to arbitrate the case by litigating it for 15 months.

The lawsuit, brought against Walmart by Debbie McCoy and removed to a federal court in Missouri in August of 2018, alleged Walmart was aware of a fraudulent practice leading to gift cards being drained by third parties. McCoy bought two Walmart cards as Christmas presents for her niece and nephew, only to find that the balance on one had been exhausted and ...