EEOC accuses Wal-Mart of discrimination against lesbian employee

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says Wal-Mart Stores Inc. discriminated against a lesbian employee who sought health coverage for her ailing wife and has ordered "a just resolution" for violating her civil rights.

The federal agency ordered the Arkansas-baed megaretailer to work with Jacqueline Cote, of New Bedford, Mass., to help her pay off $100,000 in medical bills, according to The Associated Press.

In a Jan. 29 EEOC ruling obtained yesterday by The AP, the agency said Cote "was treated differently and denied benefits because of her sex."

Cote's wife, Diana Smithson, was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, two years before the company expanded its policy to include same-sex couples.

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