Cote v. Wal-Mart – Finalist

When longtime Wal-Mart employee Jacqueline Cote attempted to enroll her wife, Dee Smithson, in the company’s health insurance plan, she was told that Dee did not qualify for spousal benefits because the company only offered health insurance coverage to opposite-sex spouses. Dee, who had previously been treated for breast cancer, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in August 2012 and lost her individual health insurance two months later. Over the next year, the couple racked up more than $150,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses for Dee’s treatment…