Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 17, 1995 TAG: 9509180078
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: BIRMINGHAM, ALA. LENGTH: Short
Deborah Cameron and Sonya Perdue were charged with shoplifting in March 1993 while returning draperies. They were convicted, but acquitted on appeal.
They sued, claiming false arrest and malicious prosecution, after a Kmart employee admitted that her district manager ordered her to lie about seeing them steal the merchandise, said Jim Morgan, an attorney for the shoppers.
Kmart attorney Mark Boardman declined Friday to say whether the Troy, Mich.-based discount giant would appeal the $4 million verdict.
Morgan claimed Kmart had a quota system in which security personnel were encouraged to make four shoplifting ``stops'' a week.
Boardman denied the company set quotas for its security personnel. He said Kmart had put the two women on a list of people returning large amounts of merchandise for refunds, and Sharp was notified they were in his store.
- Associated Press
by CNB