Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the United States, has lost a lot of money after driving a customer to be a thief and demanding a settlement, and has been forced to pay a large amount of damages.
According to the Associated Press on the 30th (local time), a jury in Mobile County, Alabama, on the 29th, ordered the defendant Wal-Mart to pay a $2.1 million (about 2.4 billion won) damages to a customer.
Plaintiff Leslie Nuss filed a civil suit against Wal-Mart in 2018 on the grounds of innocence, illegal confinement, and false reporting.
According to the complaint, Nurse was stopped by security guards in November 2016 as she tried to leave the store after shopping at a Walmart in Mobile, Alabama.
He explained that he paid for the goods at the unmanned checkout counter, but suddenly the checkout scanner was broken.
However, Mart did not listen to his explanation and reported the theft to the police.
As a result of the investigation, the police dismissed the charges.
However, Walmart's lawyer has sent Nurs several times since December 2016, saying, "If you don't pay the $200 settlement (about 230,000 won), we will file a civil lawsuit."
In the complaint, Nurs claimed that "Wal-Mart has repeatedly driven innocent customers into thieves and then asked for a settlement by an attorney."
During the trial, the plaintiff's expert testified that large retailers such as Wal-Mart are demanding settlement money after driving a number of customers into thieves, and Wal-Mart has collected tens of millions of dollars in the name of settlement money over the past two years.
On the other hand, Walmart's lawyer countered that "the settlement request is legal under Alabama law."
Walmart said it would appeal.
A Walmart spokesperson said: "The verdict is not based on evidence and the amount of damages is excessive."
(Photo = Getty Images Korea)