Learn More about the Shank Family
UPDATE: On April 1, 2008, Wal-Mart dropped all pending litigation against the Shank family. Thanks in part to the hundreds of people who wrote in to the company, as well of the contribution of many major news outlets, Debbie's family will be able to keep the money currently being held in trust for her future care. THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this victory possible. Click here to learn how you can help make sure this never happens to another Wal-Mart employee.
As a Wal-Mart employee in Missouri, Deborah Shank had finally qualified for the company's health plan. Married with three growing boys, the health coverage was undoubtedly a relief. She qualified just in time: three months later Debbie's car was hit by a tractor trailer on a rural Missouri highway. Her health plan paid for the hospital bills, but Debbie was left crippled and brain damaged.
Hoping to help cover Debbie's nursing home costs, her husband Jim sued the trucking company that hit her. The family won the settlement, and though a modest sum it would go a long way to paying for Debbie's round-the-clock care. That's when Jim received a call from Wal-Mart's lawyers. 
A clause in Debbie's insurance plan meant Wal-Mart could sue the Shanks for the money won in a settlement. The company did just that - and won. In an uncompromising move that has been called heartless and immoral, Wal-Mart moved to seize the money Jim Shank had set aside for his wife's long term care. Further family tragedies - more illness and the death of one of their sons - meant Jim was fighting a losing battle to keep his family together.
The good news is that with recent media coverage and increasing pressure on Wal-Mart, there's still a chance that the company will reverse its decision to collect money from the struggling family. Write to Wal-Mart and tell them to forgive the Shank's debt, or make a contribution directly. Read the full story of the Shank family's ordeal below.
August 2005: Wal-Mart launches its initial suit against the Shank family. Former Wal-Mart Watch executive director Andrew Grossman said at the time: "What Wal-Mart calls ‘standard procedure’ should be nothing of the
kind. For a company already embattled nationwide for its woeful health
insurance coverage, this story reveals the chilling depths of the greed
of the world’s largest company. Are Wal-Mart, Lee Scott, and the
Walton family really willing to inflict further suffering upon this
family while counting their billions back in Bentonville?"
November 2007: Wal-Mart wins the case against Deborah Shank. Reporters across the country weighed in on the verdict, and on the common practice of subrogation. Read a round up of news stores from this time here. Bloggers also weighed in on the story, and as news of Wal-Mart's actions spread, outrage at the company's behavior increased.
December 2007: Wal-Mart Watch launched a fundraiser for the family, raising over $10,000. (Click here to donate to the Shank fund.) The Service Employees International Union, which represents workers like Debbie Shank, then matched Wal-Mart Watch's contribution, raising the total amount donated to $15,000.
Wal-Mart Watch called on several Wal-Mart employee funds - including the Wal-Mart Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and the Wal-Mart Associates in Critical Need Fund - to match funds donated to the family. Wal-Mart refused to comment on the requests.
 | See CNN's March 2008 coverage of the Shanks' story. |
