A Jacksonville, Florida, couple filed a lawsuit against Walmart on Wednesday, claiming the retailer falsely accused them of stealing children’s clothing from a store in October.
“I go there all the time, shop there all the time, and what happened to us was was unimaginable,” News 4 Jax reported Raymond Brewster, who filed the suit with his wife, Nekeeya Brewster, told the outlet. “I never expected that to happen.”
The Brewsters stated in the complaint they were “profiled,” “wrongly detained,“ and “humiliated“ during a visit to the store with their three daughters. Their attorneys argue that incidents like this are all too common for Black customers shopping at Walmart.
What happened to the Brewster family at their local Walmart?
According to the lawsuit, the Brewsters visited the Walmart Supercenter at River City Marketplace on Oct. 13 to buy new clothes for one of their daughters, News 4 Jax reported. After returning home, they tried the clothes on their daughter, but some items were too small.
The next day, the Brewsters planned to return the clothing after church to exchange them for a different size, the complaint states.
Nekeeya told her husband she didn’t know how to return the clothes.
“She decided the smart thing to do was to put the clothes and the receipt for the clothes in the original Walmart bag, and then tie that bag shut,“ according to the suit.
The return process takes an unforeseen turn when loss prevention gets involved
The couple and their children entered the store, and Nekeeya placed the bag of clothes to be returned and the receipt in the shopping cart. She then went to the children’s department to pick the correct size for her daughter.
Afterward, Nekeeya proceeded to customer service to begin the return process, according to the complaint.
She asked the customer service employee to exchange five pieces of clothing and a pair of children’s pants, per News 4 Jax. However, someone in Walmart’s loss prevention department approached her, claiming she put items in her bag.
When the incident happened, Nekeeya was holding one of her daughters in her arms.
When Raymond tried showing the employee the receipt, proving they didn’t steal the items, the person refused to look at it.
“We get into this room,“ he said. “They close the door. The room is probably like a 10 by 10, like it’s really small. So, you know, it’s like me, my three daughters, my wife, two loss prevention guys and two officers.”
Walmart employee had no evidence of the Brewster family stealing items
According to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office incident report, the Walmart employee called the police and accused Nekeeya of stealing the items and putting them in her bag.
After being escorted to an office, the Brewsters were questioned, and the Walmart employee admitted there was no video evidence to support the claim. The officers cleared the family of any charges after about an hour, but the incident left the Brewsters feeling unjustly accused in front of their children.
“One thing that that bothered me the most is that…our children, we always teach them to do the right thing, right? You don’t lie, you don’t tell a story, you don’t cheat, you don’t steal…You try to do everything the right way. So being accused in front of…my kids…of stealing something that we didn’t do. And just the fact that even although you’re telling the truth, and it is the truth, you’re still, like, guilty of something that you didn’t do,“ Raymond said.
In their lawsuit, the Brewsters accuse Walmart of racial profiling, wrongful detention, defamation, and humiliation. They argue the incident is part of a pattern of discrimination against Black customers based on race.
Additionally, they seek damages, attorney’s fees, and a jury trial and request the case be certified as a class action for other Black Walmart customers who have faced similar treatment.
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