Did they commit a crime?

I am a single parent I have no money to hire a lawyer and now no job. I am new to this store, I just transferred a month or so ago. I have worked for the company for about 4 years and have really put my all into my career. I was taken into the office by my manager and the loss prevention guy. He began talking to me about how he was a cop for years before he came there and now he does investigations for the company and on and on. At first I thought he was just getting to know me or maybe asking about if I had any knowledge of anybody not paying for drinks or snacks. Then he accused me of stealing and asking me questions about missing stuff. They would not let me leave or call my husband or an attorney. I was crying so hard I couldn't talk and I was shaking. He said he had video but would not let me see it. They said I was gonna lose my daughter if I didn't tell the truth and that If I admitted it they would let me go. I wouldn't sign anything but now what do I do?

E Mongey

I doubt they would be criminally liable for these actions, but they very well may be civilly liable. By keeping you in the office against your will, they falsely imprisoned you (assuming they didn't have probable cause to detain you on suspicion of shoplifting). Depending on the outrageousness of your employer's conduct, they also may be liable for negligent or even intentional infliction of emotional distress. Finally, if they fired you under false pretenses, they may be liable for wrongful termination. Most attorneys that do civil plaintiffs work give free consultations and take the case on a contingency fee basis (this means that you don't pay them up front, but they recoup their fees by taking 1/3 of the money that you recover, if you don't recover anything, they don't get anything). Just go in your phone book and find the attorneys with free consultations, make an appointment, and go tell them your story. They will tell you whether or not you have a valid case based on the law of your state.

michr

if you were on the clock during this meeting then you were not imprisoned.
a companies risk management department is not held to the standards of law enforcement they are not a government entity.

what you do is immediately contact the companies HR department with 4 years of unblemished employment they are going to want to get this resolved.
considering what you have stated here you should not have to worry, they will address this mistake and get it corrected.

if after contacting the HR department if nothing is resolved file for unemployment and consider contacting an attorney.

lawyers who work on contingency often charge you for "out of pocket expenses" even if you don't win so be careful about what agreements you sign with an attorney.

Courtney B

I know you said you have no money, but you have to get an attorney. Contact the lawyers association for your state and see if they can help you. The only way you will get this resolved is legally. It sounds like they are bullying you into admitting something you didn't do and I really hope you find someone to help you with this.

I meant to clarify that you need a labor and employment attorney.

yeahright

if u really didn't steal anything u should go to police and file a complaint about their actions. in that case u will get a free legal advice, maybe a free lawer. document everything, maybe u had some witnesses ask them to testify. good luck

leysarob

Cops will lie to get to the truth. They can legally do this, so this former is used to using those tactics.

You simply should have stayed calm and demanded proof. They have none, which is why they were trying to trip you up.

The threat about losing your daughter is the one that might just get them into trouble, that and holding you -- that's called kidnapping. I would simply report them to the police. That is, if you're innocent of the theft. Report them for holding you against your will and terroristic threats.

AskAStupidQuestion...

That's call false imprisonment. They can't hold you like that. Yes, it's a crime.

Expert Realtor

Call the police.

THE LOSS PERVENTION MANAGER USED TO BE A POLICE OFFICER, BUT IS NO LONGER A POLICE OFFICER....AS SOON AS THIS WOMAN SAID SHE WANTED TO LEAVE AND THEY SAID SHE COULD NOT LEAVE, THEN IT BECAME FALSE IMPRISONMENT.

What they did was legal imprisonment. AN EMPLOYER DOES NOT have the right to legally detain you nor does the police. That is what they call kidnapping.

I'm glad you didn't sign anything.

You also need to call the CORPORATE OFFICE of the place and report what happened and the chances of you getting an attorney to take the case for free is VERY GOOD.

PS: My only question...is WHY would they just simply target you at random? That is the only thing that doesn't sound right about your story.

wilderwriter

Get a lawyer and sue their ***

Stacy S

legally they have to let you contact a lawyer! Contact legal aid in your area and they will provide help for free!

Dicknose

Hang on. My buddy's a real good lawyer. He spends all day on Y/A so all I have to do is star this question and he'll see it and everything will be alright. Ready? It was so nice to meet you.

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