An Arkansas jury found Walmart liable for $115 million in damages for stealing the trade secrets for tracking and routing technology for perishable goods of Zest Labs Inc. and its parent, Ecoark.
The technology helps move perishable food from its point of origin to grocery shelves as fast as possible.
It utilizes wireless sensors to collect product data from individual pallets or cases of meat, produce, or other perishable items. It monitors for temperature control and other handling parameters, analyzes delivery schedules, predicts remaining shelf life upon delivery, and suggests routing patterns to maximize shelf life.
According to Zest Labs CEO Peter Mehring, they were “surprised and concerned” in March 2018 to find how Walmart's Eden program to track food from farm to table resembled their technology.
The jury labeled Walmart's stealing of Zest’s trade secrets and failure to comply with a written contract as willful and malicious.
The verdict consists of $65 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages.
Ecoark CEO Randy May said they are happy to have their day in court.
Walmart vowed to appeal, calling the verdict “excessive.”


Pershing Square Raises $5 Billion in Landmark U.S. IPO and Share Placement
Robinhood Q1 Earnings Miss Expectations, Stock Drops After Hours
Starbucks Raises 2026 Outlook as Turnaround Strategy Boosts Sales and Earnings
Microsoft Azure Growth Forecast Beats Expectations Amid Rising AI Competition
Spirit Airlines Gains Key Creditor Support for $500M Bailout Deal
AstraZeneca Q1 2026 Earnings Surge on Strong Oncology and Rare Disease Drug Sales
OpenAI Faces Revenue Pressure and User Growth Challenges Ahead of IPO
Google Secures Pentagon AI Deal for Classified Projects
Lightelligence IPO Soars Over 400% in Hong Kong Debut Amid Rising AI Investment Demand
Micro Systemation Reports Q1 Loss Amid Strategic Investments and Revenue Growth
TSMC Exits Arm Holdings with $231 Million Share Sale Amid Strategic Portfolio Shift
Amazon Stock Dips Despite Record Earnings as AI Infrastructure Spending Surges
Meta Raises 2026 Capex Outlook Amid AI Spending Surge, Shares Drop After Earnings
T-Mobile Beats Q1 Earnings Expectations on Strong Postpaid Growth
China’s Ultra-Cheap EV Boom: Why Electric Cars Cost Far Less Than in the U.S.
Seagate Stock Surges After Strong Q3 Earnings Beat and Bullish Outlook
WuXi AppTec Stock Surges on Strong Q1 Earnings and CRDMO Demand Growth 



