Saturday, July 12, 2014

Tracy Morgan Sues Wal-Mart

Tracy Morgan has sued Wal-Mart over last month's highway crash that seriously injured him and killed a fellow comedian. Tracy is asking for punitive damages and says that Wal-Mart should have known that the driver had been awake for almost 24 hours and that a 700 mile commute was unreasonable. Police determined that the driver was traveling 65 in a 45 zone and had been driving for over 13 hours without a break. Federal law says that a driver can only drive 11 hours daily and work 14.

33 comments:

Violet said...

I'm not a great believer in the compensation culture but in this case can't say I blame him really.

The Real Dragon said...

Get em

Beetlejuice said...

Get well soon Tracy

Lulu G said...

There actually is a lot of discussion regarding truckers hours and all the federal regulations. There was a good story on NPR about a month back. It's quite scary to think about some of these truck drivers on the roads. But then again it's quite scary to see people driving cars who are texting, shaving, eating, etc.

Lulu G said...

Here is the article http://www.npr.org/2013/06/30/197319059/new-law-puts-brakes-on-truck-drivers-schedules

msgirl said...

Hate the suing mentality but in this case, Walmart deserves to be sued - driving 13 hours without a break? Take them down Tracy.

Mango said...

What about the guy that died? Are his survivors suing? I'd like to know more about that.

di butler said...

I just hate that Ardie Fuqua, the comedian who opens for TM, never gets mentioned. He's a funny guy, and a nice one, as well. He's in a rehab facility now, same as Tracy.

timebob said...

It will be cheaper for Walmart to settle with all parties involved than actually enforcing drivers to follow federal rules holding up shipments.

Things like this will happen more and more.

I think Amazon is onto something with the drone deliveries.

B626 said...

It would be great if Tracy got mucho bucks out the Walmart kitty and then publicly rolled it out to the low payed Walmart workers.

Allison said...

I would bet that this case has more intention to raise awareness of this matter, rather than to get money.

And possibly to give Walmart even more of a bad rep than they already have ;)

auntliddy said...

If what he stated is correct, lawsuit is 1000% right on. Plus the waltons, owners of walmart, are gazillionaires 5 times over. Treat your people right, dont make them drive tired and you wont have a problem.

Essie said...

Walmart has already said they will "take responsibility" for what happen. This lawsuit is just a formality. Walmart will settle generously with all the injured parties. Confidentiality agreements will be signed and no one will ever know the amount. This is a non-story. There is no drama here.

Freya said...

The guy's wife is suing.

Freya said...

He was mentioned in THR.

Hammer_Girl said...

Essie is right.

Too bad there hasn't been a device created with an automatic shutoff. For instance after so many hours or miles there is a warning to alert the driver of the impending cutoff, then when it reaches the limit it is shutdown for a certain amount of time.

Lady Heisenberg said...

We live in a culture that in general is far too litigious. However, this case needs to be filed and often, it's victims like Tracey who actually have the means to go after corporations like WalMart. It's not about the money, but demanding institutional changes to safeguard the safety of others. WalMartakes billions but cutting corners and minimizing costs, but this also exploits laborers and endangers everyone. You GO Tracey!!!

JoElla said...

@Hammer, there are things kinda like that in most of the trucks. With GPS and such in the rigs now. They don't have a 'kill switch' but dispatch will call and tell them to park it. More and more, there are records backed up by GPS and computers, logging hours and miles. It really is getting harder and harder to change logs.

Speaking of scary truck drivers, the ones you have to really be afraid of, the ones coming across the border. Crappy equipment, drive like the devil drivers.

Alexa Rose said...

Good, down with Wal Mart. They treat their employees like crap and set the precedent for low wages across America.

8====D KermitGossnellKnobjob said...

I don't really know if the chain is responsible. If the driver had such awful conditions, why didn't he sue the supermarket himself? Those conditions are slavery-like.
Maybe he earned his salary on the hours he worked and was no obligation (or even knowledge) from the company for him to suffer that timetable, but he is a poor person whose little money cannot give this person any joy, while the company has plenty.

Henriette said...

Get 'em Tracy!

M. Brown said...

I don't love suing for every wrong either but Walmart deserves anything negative it gets. Bastards.

Little Miss Smoke and Mirrors said...

Go after Wal-Mart. Do it for the little people they exploit.

Hmax17 said...

Good luck. Wal Mart truck killed my dad when he was in pursuit of a murder suspect. He had the lights and sirens and everything. A VP of Wal Mart offered my family $3500 for my dad's life.

BitchieMitchie said...

I'm sorry you lost your dad. $3500 is an insult. I hate lawyers, and Walmart. I hate that you had to go through that.

Yabba Dabba Doo said...

@ Essie, and others who think that WalMart will roll over graciously, and do the right thing...um, no they won't. I worked at a law firm for five years and had an inside look at what attorneys did on WM's behalf in the way of busting unions. They are a collective Scrooge. They'll try to settle light, in an attempt to get ahead of the PR mess. Kind of a macro version of this story above re: the policeman's family offered $3500 (that's cruel - so sorry to hear about this).

Having Wal-Mart as a major client where I worked was a tipping point for me, and I left in 2007. Never regretted the decision.

Unknown said...

Every large corporation operates on a cost benefit analysis model. If they settle or fight that will be the reason. Some corporations adopt a benevolent corp culture because they feel in the long run it will benefit them. They are more liked by the public but still just a part of the cost benefit analysis.

Sandy said...

They'll settle, and for a sh*tload of money, which they can well afford to pay. Morgan and his companions are much too high profile. This was horrible publicity on top of the horrendous publicity they've had coming down the pike for years. Everyone knows they're the worst corporate retailer in the US. I haven't set foot in one in years, and no one in my family does either (except my MiL, which makes my husband go ballistic).

johnscates said...

Dispatchers usually make drivers continue to drive after they run out of hours. I have driven for several different companies and big or small it is the same. Hurry up get unloaded and reloaded.

Aoife said...

We don't have a Walmart in my area and I wouldn't shop there anyway. That said, I hope Tracy makes them sweat. I hope that if they try to lowball him he calls them out on it. I hope he does something to show the men and women who work for this awful company that he has them in mind.

They're disgusting.

Aoife said...

They being the Walton family not the workers. That was a bit unclear.

Unknown said...

Lady H, anybody has "the means" to go after WalMart. If you're the victim in a case like this, lawyers will be lining up to represent you on contingency. You don't have to have ANY means!

umop 3pisdn said...

I think that if Tracy is successful in his suit, which no doubt he will, that he should give that $$$ to the other families that have endured loss and hardship

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