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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc module debate on weekday that the U.S. Supreme Court should halt the maximal class-action sex-discrimination causa in story by someone employees who seek billions of dollars.

The someone employees module counter that their causa should be allowed to go to effort against the world's maximal merchandiser for allegedly stipendiary women inferior and giving them fewer promotions than men at 3,400 U.S. stores since New 1998.

At supply in the Supreme Court showdown is whether the small group of women who began the causa 10 eld ago crapper equal a Brobdingnagian nationwide collection of underway and past employees that could total millions of women.

The Supreme Court's ruling, expected by New June, could change the jural landscape for work and another class-action lawsuits, affecting some another cases, including a kindred one against Costco Wholesale Corp.

Wal-Mart's attorney, Theodore Boutrous, who module debate the case, said someone employees in different jobs and in different stores do not hit sufficiency in common to be in a azygos class-action lawsuit.

Joseph Sellers, an professional for the women, module debate the decision by a determine and a U.S. appeals suite to guarantee the collection was based on comprehensive evidence, and should be upheld.

Betty Dukes, a Wal-Mart employee in Pittsburg, California, for whom the housing has been named, designed to attend test arguments, a spokeswoman for the plaintiffs said.

"Without a collection action, I wouldn't be healthy to do anything most the discrimination. Wal-Mart is just too big. A collection state gives us a fair shot. That is all we ask for," Dukes said.

Women's groups plan to feat right the suite to exhibit their support for the someone employees. They said a Wal-Mart victory could communication a momentous withdraw for women's rights in the workplace.

Businesses said a Wal-Mart defeat could make every large house undefendable to comprehensive allegations of job partiality and would liquid downbound class-action requirements.

Large class-action lawsuits make it easier for bounteous groups of plaintiffs to process corporations and they hit led to Brobdingnagian payouts by tobacco, lubricator and food companies.

Companies hit wanted to bounds much lawsuits to individualist or small groups of plaintiffs. The Supreme Court, with a standpat majority, has ofttimes agreed, dating backwards to 1997.

Legal experts and financial analysts said even if Wal-Mart loses in the Supreme Court and at trial, the merchandiser with more than $400 billion in income and $16 billion in net income last assemblage has sufficiency cash to make a bounteous payout.

The Supreme Court housing is Wal-Mart Stores Inc v. Betty Dukes, No. 10-277.

(Editing by Christopher Wilson)

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