Most of us know Walmart—it’s practically everywhere. With thousands of stores, restaurants, and millions of shoppers, it’s one of the most recognizable companies in the world. But this time, it isn’t making headlines for its low prices or big sales. Instead, it’s facing a lawsuit from two former workers who say the company’s hiring practices unfairly targeted Black applicants with criminal records.
According to the lawsuit, Walmart’s background check policy led to qualified Black applicants being denied jobs, even though they had already worked at the company’s distribution center for years without any problems. Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on.
Who is suing Walmart?
The lawsuit was filed by Mark Balentine and Laseant Sardin, two Black men with criminal records. They weren’t direct employees of Walmart—they worked at one of its distribution centers in Elwood, Illinois, but were hired through an outside logistics company called Schneider Logistics, which had a contract with Walmart at the time.
What changed in 2019?
In 2019, Walmart decided to end its contract with Schneider and take over the distribution center operations itself. As part of that transition, the employees already working there were given a chance to reapply for their jobs—but this time, directly with Walmart.
Balentine and Sardin applied, and at first, things looked promising—they were both offered positions. But once Walmart ran criminal background checks, it changed its mind. Their job offers were taken back, despite the fact that they had already been doing the same work successfully for years.
Why are they taking legal action?
The two men argue that this was unfair and discriminatory for a few reasons:
- They had been performing the job without any problems for years.
- The company’s policy didn’t look at how long ago the convictions happened, or take into account their good work history.
- Because of deep-rooted racial inequalities in the criminal justice system, Black people are statistically more likely to have criminal records—so a policy like this tends to affect them more.
- They also claim that some non-Black applicants with similar records were hired, which makes them believe race played a role in the decision.
Is this even legal?
The lawsuit says Walmart’s policy violates federal law—specifically, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects people from being discriminated against in employment. That law requires that any hiring practice (like a background check) must be closely related to the job itself and necessary for the business.
Balentine and Sardin argue that Walmart’s background check policy didn’t meet those standards.
What do the plaintiffs want?
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to do the following:
- Officially declare that Walmart’s policy was illegal.
- Stop Walmart from using this kind of background check in the future—at least not in the same way.
- Award them and others affected financial compensation.
- Approve the case as a class action, meaning it would also cover other Black applicants with criminal records who were denied jobs at that same distribution center for the same reason.
Where is the case being handled?
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, under the case name Balentine, et al. v. Walmart Inc., Case No. 1:25-cv-07131.
Has Walmart been in legal trouble before?
It has nothing to do with this case, but the company recently agreed to pay $10 million in a different lawsuit. In that case, the company was accused of allowing scammers to use its money transfer services to defraud customers. It’s one example of other legal challenges the company has faced in recent years.
This lawsuit could set a precedent for how companies like Walmart—and others—handle these situations moving forward.