Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

NEW ORLEANS - A truck driver who was fired by the Winn-Dixie grocery chain after his bosses found out that he cross-dressed while off duty does not need a trial in his suit against the company, according to a court motion filed Wednesday, news channel WDSU in New Orleans reports.

NEW YORK - The news that Fleming Cos., Kmart's major food distributor, had decided on Monday to halt shipments after the retailer failed to pay its weekly bill was the final nail in the coffin for Kmart, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, according to a report published by Retail Merchandiser magazine.

WASHINGTON - Identity theft was the most common type of U.S. consumer fraud complaint in 2001, according to federal statistics released today, Reuters reports.

TROY, Mich. - Kmart Corp. announced today that the company and 37 of its U.S. subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing that the meat inspection process is changed voluntarily, although congressional investigators say there's no proof the new system is as safe as the traditional program, The Associated Press reports.

WASHINGTON - Children still are choking to death from Asian-made jelly candies despite repeated recalls, a ban on imports and a move by major grocery chains to pull the dangerous sweets off the shelves, The Associated Press reports.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Supervalu Holdings Inc. has agreed to pay about $760,000 to resolve a lawsuit brought by 10 women who worked at the company's general merchandise warehouse in Fort Wayne, Ind., before it closed in July 1999, The Associated Press reports.

DETROIT - Kmart Corp. on Thursday warned it won't meet Wall Street's profit expectations of a penny per share for the full year ending Jan. 30, and suggested it may seek additional financing, The Associated Press reports.