When an employee got into a racially charged conflict with a customer and was fired, he claimed race discrimination.
But a court determined his skin color had nothing to do with his termination.
Heated conflict
Gary Waldron worked at an Ohio Walmart as an Asset Protection Associate. His job was to check customers’ receipts on their way out to ensure they’d paid for everything.
Waldron suspected an African-American woman hadn’t paid for all of her purchases, and he pulled her aside. The woman had paid for her things, but Waldron incorrectly read the receipt and claimed she didn’t. A heated conflict ensued, and the police were called. Ultimately, it was determined the woman had paid for everything.
The woman posted online about being racially profiled at the store and called for a protest. Walmart then fired Waldron for the incident.
Waldron sued for race discrimination, claiming he was fired because he was white. But a district court disagreed.
The court said Waldron made an error on the job, and that’s why he was fired. Furthermore, Waldron couldn’t prove that non-white employees at Walmart were treated differently than him in a similar situation. His race discrimination claim had no merit, the court ruled.
Cite: Waldron v. Walmart, 8/3/21.
