Walmart:"We're only mugging the brain-damaged woman for what's actually in her pockets."

Debbie Shank a 52 year old former Wal-Mart employee was permanently disabled in a car crash and will require round the clock care for the rest of her life. When her family successfully sued the trucking firm responsible for the accident, her employer Wal-Mart sued to take away the settlement the Shank family received to pay for the lifetime of care she will need.

Debbie's son was killed in Iraq. She has no short term memory so every time she's told about his death she's grieving for the first time.

Keith Olberman has made Wal-Mart his worst person in the world every night since last Wednesday. Wal-Mart finally responded:

"This is a very sad case and we understand that people will naturally have an emotional and sympathetic reaction. While the Shank case involves a tragic situation, the reality is that the health plan is required to protect its assets so that it can pay the future claims of other associates and their family members. These plans are funded by associate premiums and company contributions. Any money recovered is returned to the health plan, not to the business. This is done out of fairness to everyone who contributes to and benefits from the plan. The Supreme Court recently declined to hear an appeal of the case, which concludes all litigation. While Wal-Mart's benefit plan was entitled to more than the amount that remained in the Shank trust, the plan only recovered the funds remaining in that trust," which according to reports amounted to about $277,000. (emphasis added)

They want credit for only looting the family of everything they have and not garnisheeing her grieving husband's future wages.

Worst person indeed.

UPDATE: Wal-Mart backs down. You have to wonder how much their decision today to cease attempting to collect the remainder of the Shank's settlement was due to the toxic PR. You also have to wonder if they put this family through all this hell up to today just for the legal precedent and didn't plan to collect after it became clear how bad this heartlessness was making them look.