Monday, October 08, 2007

Looking for a Lawyer to Sue Wal-Mart #6, "Very Crude and Unnecessary Comments About My Mother"


LAWYERS in Dixon, Illinois
please contact Sarah at:
MaskScarah (at) aol (dot) com


Hello my name is Sarah Farmer, I feel I have a story for you. We live in Dixon, Illinois.

On July 3, 2007 my mother and I went to Wal-Mart to do a money transfer (like a western union) we were sending $550.00 to my brother in NJ. I was standing next to my mother at the counter while she was filling out the form for the transfer. After finishing the form my mother put 6 $100.00 bills on the counter. The total came to $585.34.

During the transaction the Sales clerk was helping 4 people while helping us. She kept picking up the money and then putting it down and then back on the counter in the interim the clerk had set the money down under the phone cord. Then handed the phone to the clerk next to her.

I then noticed that the money was about to fall off the counter so I reached over to stop it from falling off the counter. I then counted it to make sure it was all there. I was about to set the money back on the counter, but my mother took it out of my hand. The clerk handed her the change she then signed the receipt and then she placed the 6 $100.00 bills on the counter in front of the clerk and to my knowledge and my mothers the clerk had taken it and put it in the drawer.

My mother had another transaction. She needed a money order. She gave her another one hundred dollar bill. My mother was filling out the money order and the clerk looked at her and said " YOU NEED TO MOVE I NEED TO HELP OTHER CUSTOMERS!!" my mother who was not in the way looked up and said "Well excuse me, but what am I?" The clerk then proceeded to swipe all of my mothers papers over into a pile on the other end of the counter. My mother a little ticked off at how this Clerk was working picked up all her things put them in her purse and my mother and I left.

The next day my father had received a call from the Dixon police department. Wal-Mart had filed a complaint for theft. They were stating my mother had taken the money.

My father then called my mother at work and told her what was going on. She said that she didn't know what he was talking about. But would check her purse.

After checking the paperwork, she found the money mixed in with all the receipts. She told him to call the police and tell them she was on her way down. She then left work and came to get me. We both went down to the police department to return the money, but we were told that the police officer handling the case wasn't there, to come back tomorrow. We returned on July 5th and spoke to the officer.

The officer first brought me upstairs and read me my rights and told me I was being charged with a class 3 felony for theft of over 300 dollars. He then went down to get my mother. She then asked them why are we being arrested. We didn't do anything wrong. He said she took the money. My mother replied "I didn't know I had the money."

The police officer said he had the surveillance tape showing her putting the money in her purse. My mother denied this. After finishing all the paperwork he told us we were going over to talk to the judge and leave. That it looks like a mistake on the clerks part. But instead, he brought us to the Lee County Sheriffs Department. Where they continued to book us and put us in jail. We were incarcerated for over 8 hours. No food or water, nothing. We were strip searched and put in black and white striped suits.

The sheriffs department made very crude and unnecessary comments about my mother and I.

Like “Did I guess her bra size right??“ “Right on the dot! Replied the other officer. “WhooHoo!! WhooHoo!!” This comment was made in front of my mother while they were putting the striped suit on me.

After talking to my father around 4:00pm the police officer came out and told us that he had never seen this before that we were going to speak to the judge. This officer took us through the jail and put a belt around our waist and cuffed us. We were walked through a parade of rooms and then we were handed off to another Police officer. This officer then took us out the front door of the court house and down the street in front of god and everyone back to the county jail.

We were put back in the jail cell. After some time we then were released on our own recognizance. After all this, we then lost our jobs, our house. EVERYTHING including our dignity.

This went on for almost 3 months.

All because Wal-Mart had an incompetent clerk who doesn't know her job and we were the fall guys. Through previously working there, I know the procedure and protocol for dealing with transactions with large sums on money. The sales clerk did not follow any of that. They had the surveillance tape and told us that I picked up the money thumbed through it handed it to my mother and she thumbed through it and then put it in her purse. After about a month and a half we finally received a copy of the police report and the probable cause affidavit. These reports were filed by the arresting officer.

These reports were filled with lies. And no one has seen the tape showing this crime. The only one that had seen the tape were the Wal-Mart managers and the police officer.

2 months of waiting we finally saw the tape. We were the first to see it and it showed my mother placing the money back on the counter. Proving that the police officer had lied.

We went to court 3 times before the charges were dismissed on September 27, 2007. The State Attorney stated it was a mistake.

So far all we have heard is that if you go to Wal-Mart and the clerk makes a mistake you are responsible for it. Please, if there is any lawyer that is interested in helping us file a civil suit against Wal-Mart and all involved please contact me at MaskScarah (at) aol (dot) com . There is so much more to the story that we have left out to shorten it.

DON'T SHOP AT WALMART your responsible for their mistakes!