The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit on Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Colorado on behalf of a Navy Reserve officer who was denied employment by Walmart.

The DOJ claims that Walmart violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) when it denied Lindsey Hunger employment because she was unavailable for two weeks in the summer because she was a naval reservist. The department said, 

“The members of our Armed Forces routinely make personal sacrifices to protect our nation. The least we can do as a nation is ensure they aren’t discriminated against for making these sacrifices”

Randy Hargrove, the senior director of Walmart’s national media relations, stated that “We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind and the allegations being made are extremely disturbing. We have policies and training in place to help ensure we are compliant with all laws, including USERRA. We take this seriously and will respond with the court as appropriate.”

The DOJ has made enforcement of the USERRA a priority.