Keith Olbermann Continues Feud Against Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart Responds

Last Wednesday, Keith Olbermann introduced the story of Debbie Shank, a 52-year old former Wal-Mart employee and mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who suffered serious brain damage after getting hit by a truck and was subsequently sued by Wal-Mart to recover $470,000 in medical expenses (Shank had won a substantial settlement from the trucking company and, after legal fees, took home $417,000). Olbermann, in the clip seen below, declared Wal-Mart his "Worst Person in the World" and has subsequently named Wal-Mart to his "Worst Persons" list every night since.

Women's Wear Daily/Memo Pad's Stephanie D. Smith reports today that Wal-Mart's corporate communications director, Daphne Moore, has responded with a statement:

"This is a very sad case and we understand that people will naturally have an emotional and sympathetic reaction. While the Shank case involves a tragic situation, the reality is that the health plan is required to protect its assets so that it can pay the future claims of other associates and their family members. These plans are funded by associate premiums and company contributions. Any money recovered is returned to the health plan, not to the business. This is done out of fairness to everyone who contributes to and benefits from the plan. The Supreme Court recently declined to hear an appeal of the case, which concludes all litigation. While Wal-Mart's benefit plan was entitled to more than the amount that remained in the Shank trust, the plan only recovered the funds remaining in that trust," which according to reports amounted to about $277,000.

Comments

[Boringat]

Anyone figured out yet that Walmart OWNS the insurance company?? Agatha Christie would be spinning in her grave if it weren't for Dirty Sam Walton being on top pinning her down.

[k8k9]

Nice job, Mr. Olbermann! And I love how you snuck in there at the end that walmart should also pay her for her and her husband's emotional trauma from all of this. You rock, Dude!

[rh654]

To all of those pounding on Keith - well - Wal-Mart gave up the lawsuit and the woman gets to keep her money. Looks like Keith helped to score one for the regular person.

[OilWarsDotCom]

Big Box Retailers are part of "What is Wrong With America"
I read this book and YOU should to
http://www.bigboxswindle.com/

[Pammy1151]

Yes I heard it also. Thanks to Keith for bringing all the attention to this. The woman's husband will be on countdown tomorrow night. GOOD FOR KEITH

[1oldlady]

Well, Keith did it! Walmart sent a letter to the husband and gave up the law suit to recover funds.

He just announced it 10 minutes ago, and I will say the power to influence the media is backed my KEITH!

[PaganDancer]

This is the exact same form letter the slime molds sent to me. I replied "That just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. And I will still tell all family and friends to not shop at WalMart or any of your affiliated stores."

[dr4Will]

olbermann is the ambulance chaser of the left wing--the facts are not as he portrays them as usual--a real bottom feeder!!!

[Star2000dancer]

Yah? Well, I went down in flames from injuries & got ged to the sharks by my big time lawyers Cellino & Barnes. And I'm watching everybody I know, see or meet go down so fast it makes their heads spin once they get sick or injured because of the "system" in place right now. I hope he picks up on it and makes it a series. I'll be glad to work for him to help myself & everyone else who are getting abused by big corps. & big lawyers.

[[e-mail]]

Yes! Shame on Olbermann! How dare he defend the rights of an honest worker whose son was killed in Iraq! Those liberals--they truly have no shame.
Not like conservatives, who are always on the side of the rich and powerful, and fuck the little people.


(Love you, Keith!)

[1oldlady]

its sad to see that you think of Keith as a bottom feeder ambulance chaser of the left wing, with facts that are not what he portrays!

I guess you are the bottom feeder with whom lost a will to understand the facts of any argument and watch all the other network news propaganda spin!

I don't rely on Keith's facts, I find out for my self...He just confirms them!

[protagonia]

1oldlady,

I don't rely on Keith's facts, I find out for my self...He just confirms them!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All the trolls are using the same wording for their attacks on KO, like they got a memo. Similar to a phone-sales pitch.

Original-minded people won't take the job.

[rh654]

Keith reported the story accurately. Let me guess you side with Wal-Mart over a woman who was severely injured and just lost her son in the war in Iraq - and let me guess you support the war in Iraq, wave a flag, sing "God Bless America" and really believe that you matter to the powers that be....

[WLA]

And that flag was bought at wal mart... and made in china.

[TequilaMockingbird]

Hella.. That Poor Suffering Insurance Company aka Health Plan.. How will those Tycoon Ceo's possibly get by on the millions they rake in from the bonuses they receive by doing things such as what was done to Debbie Shank.

One day you will wake up and realize that Corporations Are not People.. and Insurance is the Fucking Devil..

We Do not need more Health Insurance.. We need publicly funded Health Care..

[k8k9]

love your name!

[AbbieXHoffman]

I won't read thist post simply because it has Olbermann on it. I won't watch his show either. After the idiotic comments he made about Ferraro and Hillary he has proven himself to be a short-sighted person that does not deserve my tme, except to point this out.

[HarlDelos]

If you won't read a post that has Olberman in it, how would you know it has Olberman in it?

Check your pants, Abbie. I think they're on fire.

[k8k9]

lol

[w&cheneysuck]

LOVE THIS!

[SharonB]

Please try to sit really still, Abbie. Your foil hat is going to fall of and the devil is going to start telling you to eat white mice again.

[Marmoset]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Pure genius, Sharon. I can see it all so clearly. HAHAHAHA!!

[k8k9]

sorry, but i can't hear anyone (much less us "short-sighted persons") asking you for any of your time. why are you here?

[soylentgreenleftovers]

Anybody who fronts themselves as "Abbie Hoffman" should probably stay away from Hillary.

Abbie wouldn't approve.

[Serena67]

"...he (Olbermann) has proven himself to be a short-sighted person that does not deserve my tme, except to point this out."

So you spent time posting your comment about him, to point out that he does not deserve your time.

?

[MrWinky]

Two thoughts:

Wal-Mart only took the $277k, not out of the kindness of its alleged heart, but because their wasn't anything else to take. You can only take everything somebody has in the world once, and Ms. Shank won't ever be able to work again. If by some miracle she can, the good people at Wal-Mart will be back to collect the rest. BTW, Ms. Shank has short term memory loss, so she cannot remember that she lost her son, and asks for him repeatedly. Her family has to tell her time and time again that he died, and each time for her is like hearing it the first time.

Mr. Shank, her husband, is over his battle with prostate cancer and works two jobs. He lost the same son serving in Iraq and recently had to divorce his wife so that she could receive further coverage from Medicaid. Medicaid pays for the part that Wal-Mart's great plan won't cover, and I don't remember them trying to recoup their losses. Now excuse me, b/c I have to go puke.

[HarlDelos]

A third thought:

The fact that they advanced the money in the first place is to be commended. WalMart's carrier could have decided to wait until the lawsuit was settled, and then paid the amount not recovered in the lawsuit - and some companies DO do exactly that.

Subrogation isn't evil. It's a way to get claims paid more quickly, so that health care providers don't hesitate to provide services.

The REAL problem here is that the lawsuit wasn't very successful. I don't know if her lawyer was incompetent, or the person(s) the lawyer sued didn't have enough insurance to cover Ms. Shank's medical costs, plus legal expenses, plus pain and suffering.

There are a lot of reasons to dislike WalMart; I don't shop there any more. Olberman usually gets the facts straight, and I love his sense of humor, but in this particular case, Olberman is smack-dab wrong.

[BlackWidowPilot]

"Subrogation isn't evil. It's a way to get claims paid more quickly, so that health care providers don't hesitate to provide services. "

Subrogation IMHO is just a symptom of a greater sickness: the stranglehold for-profit insurance providers have on our nation's healthcare.

Olbermann is not wrong *morally,* whatever legal niceties one may wish to debate.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[guajiro]

"The fact that they advanced the money in the first place is to be commended."

It was the Insurance carrier that paid quickly and not Walmart, was it not? The commendation goes to the carrier and NOT Walmart.

[aicon]

I DON'T BUY AT WALMART EVER ! NOR I WILL WATCH THE OLYMPICS BECAUSE OF THE WAY CHINA TREATS TIBET. IT S VERY SIMPLE FOLKS. GROW SOME INTEGRITY AND SUPPORT THE GOOD COMPANIES AND THE GOOD NATIONS, NOT THE BAD GREEDY ONES.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE, CONSISTENTLY !!

[pinkerman2]

Aircon. Amen and thank you. I too hae never spent one cent in that store, and never will. I wish there were more people like us.

[SharonB]

I like you. It is simple. I would rather pay more and buy from companies that produce their products in the US and that treat their US employees fairly.
It is very wrong that one the richest families in the world gets by with treating the people who work for them like cattle.
I am going to atribute your all caps to passion... I really hate all caps posts.

[Gilda]

We all can together make that difference.

[SharonB]

I cannot imagine what it is like to work at a Walmart store. It is horrible to try to shop there. There are never enought employees, they are always out of stock on so many things, and I feel sorry for anyone who tries to get by wearing the clothing that they sell, it is of such poor quality.
I agree with people who are posting here and calling on us to shop elsewhere. Don't just stop shopping there for one day and then go back to shoppong there. BOYCOTT them for at least a week and do your shopping elsewhere. And... let the Walmart administration know what you have done and why. (Maybe even include your receipts from other stores.)

[LittleGirl]

Boycott for a week? Pluzze. I've boycotted them for years and they don't miss my money, now do they? But I feel better that I don't shop at WalMart and feed their bottom line. You see, I'll pay a few more (sometimes only) pennies for items at other stores. It's really that simple. If we all boycotted Walmart, they would have to change. But a week? That's just silly.

[TheIndependenceParty]

Corporate defenders, such as CRGirl30, argue that poor Wal-Mart was subject to terms of their coverage contract with their "health insurance company". Really? Perhaps this mindless behemoth of retailing could stand up for its employees and tell their (many) insurers that they could "shove" the terms of their contract, ... or even spot their former employee the $ 470,000 the suit sought to recover. After all, it was all about the money from the beginning as far as the insurance company was concerned.

In the end, I was not born to fuel Wal-Mart's profits, ... but to understand what it means to have a friend, a mother, or a neighbor need my help. In the midst of an economic slump, ... a "recession", ... or whatever we find ourselves in, ... it is all the more important that I side with people, ... and not corporations. We are, you see, at the precipice again. Every hand I have held or shaken is worth far more to me than a slip of paper granting me a "share" in a corporation. No matter what the shares traded for today, ... they are always worth less than the people behind the corporate veil.

When did we forget that?

For my full comment see:

http://theindependenceparty.blogspot.com/2008/04/wal-mart-and-freddy-krueger.html

[guajiro]

Excellent comment and link. If I may add that the creation of a corporation in which one puts all of one's assets, is intended purposefully to prevent liability from falling upon the corporation creator's wealth. A scam by any other name, if you will. G-out!

[BOfever]

What are the odds that Keith Olbermann claims that only he was the one responsible for saving the little guy tonight on his show? With his ego my guess is 100% chance of him taking the credibility although CNN ran the story first.

[ErnestineBass]

Why are you here, @sswipe?

[BOfever]

Watch Countdown tonight, see if I'm right.

If I know the pompus host like I think I do, he might dislocate his shoulder while patting himself on the back.

[SharonB]

Who the heck CARES???? If someone I love was being treated like this, I would not care if the person who helped me by taking it to a national audience toolk a bow or hid in a back room.
With as much power (read "power" here as $$$$$$) as Walmart has, it is rare that anyone will really go on record attacking them this boldly.
He was insrtrumental in getting these people help.
If it makes you feel like a big man to criticize him, go ahead. I think you are silly.

[Meah]

BOsmell, Keith Olbermann is too smart for you. Those who do not see how brilliant Keith is are idiots. It is just that simple.

[YellowPanties]

Hey BodyOdorFever: have you ever even seen Keith's show? Doesn't sound like it. Olbermann is a true return to the daring reporter of yore. His "Special Comments" are some of the most incisive and direct editorial confrontations on record.

So to answer your question, the odds are very, very low. Microscopic. Like your brain.

[AggravationKills]

Daring Reporter? Come On.

I love Olbermann, despite my recent disgust. But he's still one of my favorite big mouths.

Keith brought the attention to the case. And he hounded WalMart. He deserves Kudos.
But easy on the Daring Reporter stuff. Save that for those guys over in Iraq covering the war. Keiths pretty daring for behind the desk.

[mizonglohong]

I just have to say that I really love him for taking on these bullies! I can't believe they could be so heartless, but I knew they were greedy people. I started boycotting Walmart years ago when I learned that most of their team members were not allowed to work enough hours to get benefits. Way to go Keih!!! P.S. He's a handsome guy who has a healthy view of what is going on. In other words, I like his point of view on the news.

[Star2000dancer]

I agree! Go Keith!! I was soooo happy to se at least one big corp. finally get nailed. I lost my injuries to Tops thru a big law firm...Cellino & Barnes. They sold me out & if you ever got a transcript of that court case, you'd be shocked at how poorly it was handled. I knew I was in trouble when I use to watch my lawyer & Tops lawyer get into the elevator together to go to lunch. All the doctors who helped me never got payed & are mad at me. So while it took me ages to find anyone to work on me, the good ones I finally found, I lost.

Please follow up on this & go after all these nasty life wreckers who prey on injured people. I've been in poverty & pain ever since those events. Plus putting a judgement on me when I was disabled & ruining my credit.

[guajiro]

Typical Fortune 500 Corporate behavior. The reason this lady's kid was killed in Iraq, and one of the main reasons America is in Iraq right now, is to acquire new territory and civilizations for corporations to work their evil. The profit acquired from enslaving a country's population to a pre-determined form of living (banking system, loans, mortages, repossession, etc), enforced by this country's military upon conquering and later by the police/justice system, can be seen in the form of the billions and billions of dollars Wal-Mart has and wants to acquire elsewhere. That this is all made possible by this lady's military son, and others like him, is the ultimate form of ungratefulness and cowardly behavior, rivaled only by Halliburton, etc. From here on out, if Wal-Mart wants to do business in foreign countries, I suggest it get it's own soldiers and do it's own conquering with it's own lives and money. Better yet, if the charter that makes the existence of Wal-Mart possible says it has been created to benefit the state(the people) where it is created, they ought to cancel it's charter in that state since sueing the very people that gave it life and who fight to conquer territory for it to expand, is a violation of that charter.