Legal Question in Discrimination Law in District of Columbia

Can my cousin and I sue a chain cloying store? We were accused of stealing a item of clothing and held in the security office for 20inutes.meanwhile the store manager yelled at us and searched all of our things because they saw us in the security cameras "steal" something.in the end they saw that they had made a mistake and saw that we were under emotional distress.we are underaged so they gave us a coupon to use in that store


Asked on 4/05/12, 5:17 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Paula McGill Paula McGill Attorney at Law

If you are underaged, you need to discuss the matter with your parents to determine if they want to engage in settlement discussions with or a lawsuit against the store.

In short, stores have a privileged to detain people for a reasonable time to determine if they have shoplifted. They have to act reasonable in the detention. Depending on the circumstances, 20 minutes may or may not be reasonable, and their actions once they detained you may or may not be reasonable. More facts are needed.

I am licensed in DC and handle these matters and am able to discuss the same with your parents.

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Answered on 4/06/12, 6:16 pm


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