A Principal’s Responsibility For The Actions Of Their Agent

A Principal’s Responsibility For The Actions Of Their Agent

Karen is shopping at Big Mart. She has with her an umbrella which is the same brand Big Mart carries. When a Big Mart employee, Steve, sees her leave with the umbrella without going through the checkout lane, he asks her to come back into the store. Steve says that he thinks Karen is shoplifting the umbrella. Karen tells him that she has had the umbrella for years and shows him marks of wear and tear. Steve apologizes and tells Karen she is free to go. Can Karen successfully sue for false imprisonment or defamation?

Karen cannot successfully sue for false imprisonment because as per the information in this case, the employee simply asks her to come back to the store so as to be able to clarify the misunderstanding. As an employee of Big Mart, Steve had the right to inquire about the originality of the umbrella. This is because he is supposed to protect the store from shoplifting. There is no defamation or imprisonment just a small misunderstanding that is cleared up without so much hustle to both .............