Spokane, WA asked in Criminal Law, Personal Injury, Civil Litigation and Constitutional Law for Washington

Q: Can I sue Walmart?

Last summer I was arrested for a crime that occurred at a Walmart store.I told them I didn't do it but the clerk positively identified me. I was arrested and did a week in one jail where I was beaten up and my two front teeth knotted out I also had blood in my urine. Then I was finally bailed out by my parents. I have been going to court every sense They said they have a videotape and I asked them to please review the video. After I left court today my lawyer called me and asked me to meet him in front of the courthouse.He said he wanted to look at my right forearm because in the video they could see the person that did this had a tattoo on his arm.After looking at my arm my lawyer said I didn't need to come back to court and the prosecutor said he had enough of this case. Now, what can I sue anyone?

1 Lawyer Answer
Vincent J. Bernabei
Vincent J. Bernabei
Answered
  • Beaverton, OR
  • Licensed in Washington

A: You may have a valid claim against Walmart for false arrest and related claims. You should contact an attorney in your area to determine whether your claim is worth pursuing. It is truly unfortunate that you had to go through such an ordeal because of faulty eyewitness evidence. Studies repeatedly show that eyewitnesses to startling events often fail to identify the correct culprit, and that eyewitness testimony is easily susceptible to manipulation.

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