One great thing about the United States is that people have the freedom to come and go. Often, when people hear of false arrest, they think of a police officer arresting someone without probable cause. The fact of the matter is that every day, security guards and corporate employees arrest hundreds of people. Many of these arrests are unfounded. Our office has handled numerous false arrest cases against groceries, retail stores, malls, and other establishments. Often, rent-a-cops are poorly trained, act out of emotion, and violate individuals’ rights. We have represented people who have been chained to walls by private security, separated from their children for hours, and illegally transported across state lines. In the course of making the arrests, sometimes these private security officers have also injured our clients. Our firm has represented more individuals against private security companies in litigation than any other firm in the state.
False Arrest — Past Case Example #1
Yolanda Blume and Greg Kafoury
Yolanda Blume: Verdict: $475,000. Ms. Blume exposed a longstanding practice at Fred Meyer stores that allowed clerks to randomly stop and detain customers to see whether they had a receipt for their purchases. Outraged and humiliated, she sued Fred Meyer for victimizing her and other customers by searching without probable cause.
False Arrest — Past Case Example #2
Greg Kafoury and client Louis Stranahan
Louis Stranahan: Verdict: $2,100,000. Louis Stranahan, 68, was arrested for gathering signatures against a sales tax measure outside a Fred Meyer store. Fred Meyer was shown to have wrongfully intimidated petitioners, lied to police, and even created a fraudulent court order. The jury sought to punish Fred Meyer. The case was ultimately reversed by the Oregon Supreme Court.
False Arrest — Past Case Example #3
Michael Jones
Michael Jones: Verdict: $890,000. Michael Jones, an activist hero who has long protected Mt. Hood from being ravished by big corporations and government bureaucrats, was falsely arrested when he retrieved four totem poles from Lewis & Clark College, where they had been put on display. At trial, it was shown that he had been victimized by a conspiracy of college officials and land developers, who sought to discredit him and deprive him of his valuable property. Prior to trial, the defendants had offered $5,500 in settlement.