Estate Of Walmart Worker Who Died From COVID-19 Sues For Wrongful Death

The family of a Walmart Inc employee in Illinois who died after contracting COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, has filed a lawsuit accusing the retail giant of failing to adequately screen and protect workers.

The lawsuit filed in Illinois state court on Monday by the estate of Wando Evans says the Walmart store south of Chicago was not properly cleaned and employees were not given masks, gloves, antibacterial wipes or other protective equipment.

Evans died on March 25, and another employee at the same store died four days later from complications due to COVID-19, according to the complaint.

Arkansas-based Walmart said it had conducted “a deep-cleaning of key areas” in the Illinois store, which has passed a health department inspection and a separate third-party review over the last week, according to a statement provided by a spokesman.

“We have taken steps across the country to protect our associates and customers, including additional cleaning measures, installing sneeze guards at registers, placing social distancing decals on the floors and limiting the number of customers in a store at a given time,” the company said.