Security Guard Lawsuit Settlement Guide

If a store security guard violated your rights, you may be entitled to a lawsuit settlement. A store security guard typically violates a person’s rights by using excessive force or commiting false arrest.

Excessive force occurs when a store security guard assaults you. Sometimes this happens when a security guard tries to stop you from leaving the store.

False arrest occurs when a store security guard detains you and calls the police after wrongfully accusing you of shoplifting.

This guide aims to provide an overview of the sort of possible compensation for lawsuits against store security guards. If you believe that a store security guard violated your rights in NYC, contact Cody Warner, P.C. for a free consultation. We can assess your claim to determine if you have a winning lawsuit.

Multimillion Dollar Security Guard Lawsuit Settlements

$2,310,754 Security Guard Verdict

On May 28, 2020, three teenagers entered a jewelry store in Los Angeles, California. After entering, they asked the owner, Moas Khanian, to see a $300 pair of diamond earrings. While Khanian was distracted with other customers, one of the teenagers placed the earrings in her purse and ran outside with the group. Khanian chased after them and managed to catch up to the teenager holding the purse.

A security guard, recently employed by All Action Security Consulting Group, saw Khanian take the teenager’s purse and mistakenly thought he was attempting to rob her. Despite Khanian repeatedly explaining that he was the victim of theft, the security guard tried to detain him. After a few minutes of physical altercation, the security guard slammed Khanian to the ground, causing severe injuries to his right knee and lower back. Khanian later filed a lawsuit against All Action Security Consulting Group. On December 13, 2022, he was awarded $2,310,754 via a jury verdict.

$2,100,000 Security Guard Verdict

In November 2016, Lesleigh Nurse was shopping at a Walmart in Mobile, Alabama. As she was exiting the store after checking out, multiple security guards stopped her and asked for a receipt. Nurse explained that she didn’t have a receipt because her screen had frozen during the self-checkout process. The security guards rejected her explanation and proceeded to arrest her. Nurse’s case regarding her arrest was quickly dismissed. Nurse then filed a lawsuit against Walmart, claiming false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and slander. On November 29, 2021, she was awarded $2,100,000 via a jury verdict.

Million Dollar Security Guard Lawsuit Settlements

$1,200,000 Security Guard Verdict

On February 1, 2003, Luba Lynch was shopping with her mother, Tatiana Kotova, at a Babies “R” Us store in North Charleston, South Carolina. While shopping, Lynch handed some cookies she had selected to her mother, who placed them in a tote bag. A nearby shopper witnessed this and reported it to a manager, alleging shoplifting. The North Charleston Police Department was called, and Lynch and Kotova were accused of shoplifting. The store manager approached Lynch and Kotova, questioning them about the tote bag. Lynch explained that they intended to purchase the cookies and were not stealing them. Despite this, the police arrived and arrested Lynch and Kotova.

They were transported to jail and held for ten hours before being released. Following their release, Lynch filed a lawsuit against Toys “R” Us, alleging false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, slander, and outrage. A jury later awarded Lynch $50,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages for each cause of action. In total, Lynch received $1,200,000 from the jury verdict.

Six-Figure Security Guard Lawsuit Settlements

$475,000 Security Guard Settlement

In May 2019, Dravon Ames was shopping with his family at a store in Phoenix, Arizona.  While shopping, his four-year-old daughter accidentally took a toy doll without paying for it. Store management then called the Phoenix Police Department. After shopping, Ames drove his family to their babysitter’s apartment complex.

Outside the complex, a police officer approached Ames’s vehicle aggressively, banging on the window, shouting expletives, and brandishing his handgun. The officer then forcibly removed Ames from the vehicle, handcuffed him, and physically assaulted him. Iesha Harper, Ames’s partner, stepped out of the car holding their two daughters. The officer grabbed Harper, causing injury to one of the children. Eventually, a lieutenant arrived and de-escalated the situation.

Neither Ames nor Harper were charged with any crime. Following the incident, the family filed a lawsuit against the officers involved, alleging battery, unlawful imprisonment, false arrest, and infliction of emotional distress. On August 26, 2020, the family reached a settlement of $475,000 from the Phoenix City Council.

$282,000 Security Guard Verdict

In May 2009, Daniel Campos and his friend Jose Platero were shopping at a Walmart in Sterling, Virginia. While shopping, Campos and Platero were followed by a security guard. Feeling threatened, Campos and Platero decided to abandon their shopping and exit the store. However, as they attempted to exit, two security guards and the store’s assistant manager confronted them.

The security guards accused the men of shoplifting, and police were called. Campos and Platero were searched, but the officers found no stolen items on them. Campos later filed a lawsuit against Walmart, alleging defamation, false imprisonment, assault, and battery. Two years after the incident, Campos was awarded $282,000 in damages as determined by a jury verdict.

Five-Figure Security Guard Lawsuit Settlement Guide

$75,000 Security Guard Settlement

In May 2013, Keyarika Diggles was shopping at a Walmart in Jasper City, Alabama, when store security accused her of stealing $31 worth of baby formula. Sergeant Gary Pullen and Officer Lawson Dry from the Jasper City Police Department responded to the call and located Diggles nearby. They arrested her and took her to the county jail. Video footage revealed that the officers repeatedly hit Diggles during the arrest process. Following the incident, Diggles filed a lawsuit against the officers, claiming excessive force. A year later, she reached a settlement of $75,000 from the City of Jasper.

$44,000 Security Guard Settlement

On March 12, 2005, Alfred Ashford was shopping at a Safeway store in Portland, Oregon. While Ashford was in the meat section exchanging items, Dean Richey, a meat clerk, mistakenly believed that Ashford’s receipt was fake. This misunderstanding led the store manager and a security guard to confront Ashford, accusing him of shoplifting. The situation was eventually resolved when Richey verified that Ashford’s receipt was valid, and apologized. However, Ashford declined to accept the apology and subsequently filed a lawsuit against Safeway. In June 2006, Ashford received a $44,000 settlement from Safeway.

$28,000 Security Guard Settlement

On January 29, 2021, Eric Lindsay was shopping at a Meijer supermarket in West Chester Township, Ohio. Lindsay coincidentally encountered Officers Tanner Csendes and Tim Mintkenbaugh, who had just responded to a complaint about an alleged shoplifter. Suspect was described as  a white male in his thirties wearing a dark green or gray jacket. Mistaking Lindsay for the suspect, the officers questioned and accused him of shoplifting. Lindsay, a sixty-year-old African American dressed in an orange jacket, explained that he did not fit the description provided. Dispatch later confirmed that the actual suspect had been located in a different aisle.

The officers apologized to Lindsay, and he was not arrested. Subsequently, Lindsay filed a lawsuit against Officers Csendes and Mintkenbaugh, alleging racial profiling, unlawful detention, and infliction of emotional distress. A year later, Lindsay received a settlement of $28,000 from the West Chester Township and its board of trustees.

$14,000 Security Guard Settlement

In 2017, Alfreida Parker was shopping at a grocery store in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. While Parker was inside the store, an off-duty police officer observed another woman in the parking lot concealing meat packages and placing them in her vehicle. The officer alerted dispatch about the suspected theft at the grocery store. As Parker was leaving the premises, Orangeburg County police officers pulled her car over and requested to see her receipt for the groceries. Despite providing a valid receipt and despite the actual suspect being apprehended by other officers, Parker was handcuffed, arrested, and taken to jail where she remained for twenty-four hours. In response to this wrongful arrest, Parker filed a lawsuit against the officers. Four years later, in June 2021, she received a settlement of $14,000 from the Orangeburg County Police Department.

Have a Case Against Store Security?

If you think you may have a case against a store security guard in New York City, contact Cody Warner, P.C. for a free consultation. We can discuss your case and determine the best course of action.