Walmart had to pay an employee nearly $35 million after accusing him of fraud and fired him

Walmart will be ordered to pay a former truck driver nearly $35 million after a jury concluded she falsely accused him of fraud before firing him, according to court documents and multiple reports.

Jesus “Jesse” Fonseca – a former Walmart truck driver for 14 years – was awarded $25 million in punitive damages by a jury in San Bernardino County this week, as well as $9.7 million for lost wages and benefits as well awarded noneconomic damages, according to court documents, according to a tweet from one of his attorneys, David deRubertis of The deRubertis Law Firm.

The jury awarded the former employee the award after finding that Fonseca did not violate Walmart’s integrity policy as part of his ethics statement, one of his lawyers told CBS.

Walmart warns of higher prices if Trump implements proposed tariffs

“We demonstrated at trial that Jesse did not violate any policies – let alone an ‘integrity’ policy,” deRubertis tweeted.

A Walmart store is seen in Florida City on May 6, 2024. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

However, Walmart called the ruling “outrageous” and plans to continue fighting this case. The verdict “simply does not reflect the clear and undisputed facts of this case. Accordingly, we will pursue all available legal remedies,” the company said in a statement to FOX Business.

In the original 2019 lawsuit against Walmart obtained by CBS, Fonseca claimed he was injured when another semi-truck crashed into his Walmart semi-truck from behind while he was working a shift in June 2017.

WALMART RAISES OUTLOOK AS CONSUMERS SPEND MORE ON NON-ESSENTIAL SPENDS AND ORDER MORE DELIVERIES

FOX Business has reached out to one of Fonseca’s attorneys, Mo Eldessouky of Eldessouky Law, for comment.

A Walmart store is seen in Miami on May 2, 2024. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In the lawsuit, Fonseca argued that he filed a workers’ compensation claim for his injuries. He was reportedly told by doctors not to push, pull or lift anything weighing more than 10 pounds. He was also advised not to drive a commercial vehicle, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit also alleged that Walmart failed to accommodate these labor restrictions. The lawsuit also alleged that Fonseca was terminated while on medical leave after the company monitored him and discovered he was driving a personal vehicle.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO by CLICKING HERE

Fonseca believed he was allowed to drive personal vehicles and was only allowed to drive for commercial purposes.

“This triggered an internal Walmart fraud investigation. The internal fraud investigator concluded that Jesse was honest and credible; they found no fraud. “Nevertheless, the fraud investigator’s report has been forwarded to Walmart’s Ethics Department in accordance with Walmart’s policies for this situation,” deRubertis tweeted.