Posted on 04/16/2017 12:59:15 PM PDT by JoeProBono
A Montana State University professor is suing the world’s largest retailer for libel after, he says, an employee at the Bozeman store listed the occupation on the professor’s fishing license as a toilet cleaner.
Gilbert Kalonde, assistant professor of technology education at MSU, filed the suit Thursday in Gallatin County District Court. He is being represented by Jim Taylor, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana.
According to the complaint:
In April 2015, Kalonde went to Wal-Mart to buy a Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks fishing license.
As part of the process to receive a fishing license, Kalonde had to provide his occupation. He said he told the Wal-Mart employee that he worked for MSU and gave him identification that showed he worked for the university.
But instead of putting Kalonde’s correct occupation on the license, the Wal-Mart employee entered “clean toilets” into the FWP database as Kalonde’s occupation.
The suit claims the move was done to expose Kalonde to “hatred, contempt, ridicule or obloquy.”
On Feb. 24, 2016, Kalonde renewed his fishing license at Wal-Mart. He said he told the employee that he worked for MSU, but “clean toilets” was left as Kalonde’s occupation on his license.
Kalonde said that later during a lunch break at the university, he showed his teaching assistant his license while some of his other students were around. The teaching assistant saw Kalonde’s listed occupation and asked if he had changed jobs.
Kalonde says he was “very shocked and embarrassed” by the incident.
“In (Kalonde’s) home country of Zambia, the people that do this work are the lowest social class, and are shunned and avoided by society,” the suit said.
Two days after getting his license renewed, Kalonde returned to Wal-Mart and asked for a corrected license and a written apology. An apology was never provided, he said.
Wal-Mart has a legal responsibility to properly train and monitor the actions of its employees, the suit argues.
Kalonde is seeking unspecified damages.
Wal-Mart did not respond to a request for comment.
Hoax.
Like a lot of stories, it’s a hoot even if it is fake.
And I'm sure your average Wal-Mart sporting goods employee knows this.
I think he said toilet cleaner. It is the lowest social order in Zambia. Who knew? And who shows a fishing license to anyone else? Everrrr? When a group of guys go fishing, this would have begun the endless jokes and pictures.
Well he teaches snowflakes so trying to clean up their lives with educational values may be compared to cleaning up toilets. I’m sure that they consider their multi sex toilet to be a safe place.
I have cleaned my share of toilets in life.
Everyone should have to clean toilets at some time in their life, and not just the family toilet, either.
It gives you respect for those who do have to do it, and makes you conduct yourself in such a way that you make zero-footprint of a mess for anyone who has to clean it or use it after you.
I don't know if this story is true or not, but I guarantee there are lot of people who have contempt for people who have to clean up after others just like this person.
I’m siding with Mr. Kalonde, after all it is a fishing license.......Who doesn’t like fishermen?
Fishy story.
Headline is misleading. Everyone knows MSU stands for Michigan State University.
Maybe he was a U of M fan?
Judge Judy give him a judgment of $1.
Frankly the state should be concerned about this as well. The clerk has knowingly lied on an official document; whose to say he hasn’t falsified other information - perhaps to benefit his friends or for profit. I know people will joke about this, but I think this is serious business and deserves a deeper look.
I’ve lived in a lot of states and I have never had to list an occupation on a fishing or hunting license. Why would Montana require that?
Maybe Montana has some weird thing going, but I’ve never heard of an occupation being listed on a fishing license in the first place.
Why is listing occupation necessary for a fishing license?
My feelings exactly. As I said in my post, everyone should have the experience.
I work in a hospital, and while my job isn’t housekeeping, when I go into a bathroom and it’s a mess, I tidy up where I can, because the cleanliness of the bathroom is a direct reflection on the quality of the institution.
Sure, I feel like people can be real pigs, but the people who just drop wet paper towels in the sink, in urinals, and on the floor and leave it there deserve a special contempt in my opinion.
I give patients a pass, because...well, they are the customer, they might be ill, or distracted by the condition of their loved ones. But if I see an employee do it...that really gets my goat.
ACLU? Really?
The poor prof must be working for minimum wage. Can’t afford a real lawyer.
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