On April 12, 2019, Wal-Mart was ordered to pay $6,001,559 in a California wage and hour class action lawsuit consisting of about 4,840 class members.

Chelsea Hamilton and Alyssa Hernandez are former Wal-Mart employees who filed the case in June 2017. According to their complaint, Wal-Mart employees were allegedly discouraged from leaving the premises during their meal breaks because the employees were required to go through a security check prior to leaving. This was found to be in violation of California Labor Code section 512 and the California Wage Orders, which require employers to relinquish control over their employees’ activities during breaks.