MOBILE, Ala. – An Alabama woman who said she was falsely accused of shoplifting by retail giant Walmart has been awarded $2.1 million by a jury.
In a lawsuit filed against Walmart, Lesleigh Nurse said she was stopped and accused of trying to steal groceries even though she had already paid, The Associated Press reported. The case against her was dismissed, but she continued to get letters threatening her with legal action if she didn’t pay $200 as a settlement.
Nurse said Walmart was behind the letters and that there were other people being threatened in the same way. In court, an expert testified that Walmart and other retailers routinely do this in states where laws are loosely written, WKRG reported. Defense attorneys for Walmart argued they had not done anything illegal.
A spokesperson for Walmart told AL.com that they would be appealing the decision.
