Legal Question in Consumer Law in Texas

Defamation of Character

last week after picking out a few things at the grocery store and paying for them, i was confronted by a store employee asking me to step aside and remove my coat. she insisted i had taken a bag of pasta and put it in my coat. i obliged and when it was noticed that i had nothing on my person she insisted i entered the store with my coat opened and then i buttoned it after placing the pasta inside. she said she was *told* by security that had viewed me on video. she was going by what they said and had not viewed the tape herself. I hadnt even gone anywhere near that isle and gone into the store with my coat buttoned. when she pulled me aside she didnt take me out of view of other customers, just infront of the cash registers. Theis was a very humiliating situation. what made it even worse was that she was going on someones word someone that should have confronted me not her. then call me a liar when i said no i came in with my coat buttoned and she inisted i didnt. No apology was given instead she escorted me out the store which made it look to all watching and myself that i was being told to leave the store. i was humilated and insulted. Can i go after them for defamation of character? store mngr is offering me $10


Asked on 2/03/06, 6:17 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
James Grissom Law Office of James P. Grissom

Re: Defamation of Character

Shopkeepers have a limited privilege to detain a patron for a short time to inquire about possible theft. Your story doesn't really go into sufficient detail about the incident to predict the likelihood that you would prevail on this case. I had a case similar to this a few years and got zero. I had another case where I recovered about $7K for a young man. It's all very fact specific.

Read more
Answered on 2/03/06, 6:49 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Consumer Law questions and answers in Texas