Wal-Mart Denies It Defamed Bowen
Last updated Friday, August 12, 2005 9:37 PM CDT in Business
By Anita French
The Morning News
Wal-Mart denies in court documents filed Friday that it has defamed former employee Jared Bowen and is asking that his lawsuit against the company be dismissed.
Bowen, a former company vice president, filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville in July for defamation and slander after the company went public with claims that Bowen was a "liar, a thief and a fraud."
Bowen, 31, of Rogers, said he was fired in April after he told management that former Vice Chairman Tom Coughlin had him approve questionable expense reports.
Coughlin, a 28-year veteran of Wal-Mart, was forced to resign from the Wal-Mart board in March after an internal investigation by the company allegedly revealed his misuse of corporate gift cards and third-party invoices. Coughlin, through his attorneys, has denied the allegations.
Bowen's attorney, Steve Kardell of Dallas, filed a complaint on his client's behalf in May with the U.S. Department of Labor, alleging Wal-Mart violated a provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that prohibits retaliation by a company against whistleblowers.
Wal-Mart responded publicly by denying Bowen was a whistleblower and accused him of being involved in Coughlin's alleged deception. It released copies of Bowen's college transcripts, which the company said shows Bowen lied to Wal-Mart about his education, and posted copies of it at walmartfacts.com.
Bowen, in turn, filed a defamation lawsuit against Wal-Mart in Benton County Circuit Court, seeking punitive and compensatory damages in excess of $75,000.
Wal-Mart, in its answer to Bowen's suit Friday, denies almost every allegation made by him and also raises questions about the court's jurisdiction over the case because of Bowen's pending government suit.
Wal-Mart also claims in its filing that Bowen is a "limited-purpose public figure" and therefore cannot claim defamation, nor is Wal-Mart the cause of any damaged suffered by him.
Kardell said Friday he knew Wal-Mart was filing its answer to Bowen's suit but that he had not seen a copy as yet.
"I don't expect any surprises," he said.
Fayetteville attorney Woody Bassett filed Wal-Mart's response to Bowen's suit in Benton County Circuit Court.
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