After her husband, an assistant store manager in Tilton, N.H., died of a heart attack, Rice discovered the retail giant had purchased life insurance on thousands of employees, including her husband, and named itself the beneficiary. Wal-Mart pocketed at least $300,000 with her husband's death; Rice and her two children received no proceeds.

Now, in a case that is expected to foreshadow many others around the country, Rice is suing Wal-Mart in federal court in New Hampshire, alleging that the money should have gone to her, not Wal-Mart. She is seeking to have other survivors of Wal-Mart employees join in the suit.