In the midst of the focus on the unethical behavior of Wall Street, let’s give a little stage time for Wal-Mart:

In a closely watched case, a sharply divided federal appeals court on Monday ruled 6-5 that a sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart could proceed as a class action for more than a million women. The suit is the biggest employment discrimination case in the nation’s history.

After a decade of pretrial maneuvering, the decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, was a victory for the plaintiffs. It hastens an eventual trial for the women,, who are seeking billions of dollars from Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer.

“Wal-Mart tries to project an improved image as a good corporate citizen,” said Brad Seligman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “No amount of P.R. is going to work until it addresses the claims of its female employees.”