Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Minnesota
Wrongly Accused
My 12-yr old son was followed out of a grocery store by a store employee. The employee asked him his name, then said that he looked suspicious in the store and demanded that my son empty his pockets. When nothing was found, the employee went back in the store. My son was very upset by this incident. Can stores do this?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Wrongly Accused
Yes, they can do this. Your son is not required to comply, but they can certainly ask him to do this. In an age where shoplifting is commonplace, many stores have security staff who watch customers and, if concerned about their behavior, may stop and question them. On occasion, they may even take a suspect to a "back room," where the suspect is questioned and occasionally detained. At that point, stores occasionally go too far and have been sued under a variety of legal theories. Your son's experience, however, does not suggest any likely basis for a cause of action.
Thank you for your question, and good luck. My contact information is below if you have further questions.
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