The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday limited the sex discrimination case against Wal-Mart, ruling it cannot proceed as class action.
The ruling overturned a decision by a lower court in San Francisco. The potential class action could involve 1.6 million women who worked in Wal-Mart, making the retail giant liable for potentially billions of dollars in damages.
The court accepted Wal-Mart's argument that the female employees at Wal-Mart's 3,400 different stores nationwide do not have enough in common to be bundled together in a single class- action lawsuit.
The court ruling means the women who filed the suit may pursue the claims themselves.
They sued Wal-Mart for paying women less and giving them fewer promotions.