The actions of Walmart Distribution Center #7015 in Ochelata, Oklahoma, have caused my family and my business severe financial distress and hardship. This petition seeks to hold them accountable for their deceptive and damaging practices.
My parents, Sam and Kylene, operated a beloved cafe as a sole proprietorship within the distribution center for six years. Our cafe was a lifeline for associates, serving home-cooked meals 364 days a year, even through the COVID-19 pandemic. But in a tragic turn, my father, Sam, contracted COVID-19 and passed away. Because the business was a sole proprietorship, it legally ceased to exist with his death.
After this devastating loss, I spoke with General Manager Jill Leach about reopening the cafe. I was seven months pregnant and grieving, but I made one thing crystal clear: my mother and I would relaunch the business only if we had a formal, signed contract to protect our significant investment of time and money. My mother, Kylene, was a witness to this promise.
Relying entirely on this promise, I spent the spare time I had after work diligently and exhaustively rebuilding the business. Despite being seven months pregnant and missing only three days of work after giving birth, I did everything Walmart asked of me.  * Obtained a sales tax permit.
 * Acquired comprehensive liability insurance, listing Walmart as a certificate holder.
 * Set up worker's compensation.
 * Opened a dedicated business checking account.
 * Invested in a custom Point of Sale (POS) system.
 * Expedited my DUNS number, registered my trademark with the Secretary of State, and obtained an EIN.

 * Traded in my paid-off car for one, that was fuel efficient going make grocery runs.
 * Secured Sysco as a vendor and opened new accounts.
I was led into significant expenses and effort under the explicit promise of a new contract. Four days before the scheduled contract signing, I reached out to Walmart, asking if anything else was needed. There was no response. Just two days before our meeting, trusting the implied agreement, I placed a substantial food order, and my POS system arrived.
On the day of the signing, with all paperwork in hand, Ms. Leach told me the contract was "null and void." She called me a "liability" and then told me I could work that night but "better not make a scene." Immediately, signs went up outside the cafe that read, "Pack a lunch, they're not coming back," and vending machines were installed as replacements.
I had meticulously taken every step to fulfill my side of the agreement, only to be thrown aside without warning. I am now facing insurmountable debt:
 * Business taxes.
 * A repossessed vehicle for which I still owe payments.
 * A loan co-signed by my brother.
 * A useless POS system.
 * Insurance fees.
 * Worker's compensation penalties.
 * Two outstanding tax warrants.
Walmart had refused to pay outstanding catering bills and open employee tabs unless I sign a confidential settlement agreement, a process they  drug out for months, causing further financial and emotional strain. The offer? A meager $5,000 for damages only if I sign a nda  im in debt $64,000. 
This is not just a business dispute—it's a story of bad faith and a profound failure of corporate responsibility. Walmart's actions are a textbook case of promissory estoppel, where I suffered significant detriment by relying on a promise that was subsequently broken without cause. I believed that by doing everything asked of me, my family wouldn't have to struggle. I missed precious time with my newborn son because I believed in their promise.
When you're the face of a multi-billion dollar corporation, you have a responsibility to handle a situation like this with due care and to act in good faith. I would never treat a dedicated family who spent six years serving associates with such cruelty.
I've written letter after letter and email after email, but I am not being heard. I need your help. I cannot find a lawyer to take this case on a contingency basis, and those I've spoken to have ties to Walmart, creating a conflict of interest.
I am asking Walmart to take into consideration the circumstances surrounding this event and to do the right thing.
Please help me by signing and sharing this petition to hold Walmart Distribution Center #7015 accountable. Let them know that their hard-working associates deserve healthy meal options and time back in their day instead of expensive vending machine food. Let them know that good faith and fairness should not be empty words.