Newark, NJ asked in Criminal Law for New Jersey

Q: Can I be charged criminally if kohls never recovered the merchandise?

I was shopping in kohls, trying to spend my kohls cash. Unsure of what I wanted & other reasons, I had a lot of stuff to try on. Not once did I try to conceal anything or take merchandise but before I went into the dressing room this young lady was following me. After shopping for a while I checked out. When I left the store the lady came up to me and asked me to come with her, she "believes" I stole things. I told her that I was not going anywhere with her & she told me she was going to call the cops. I told her go ahead I have nothing to hide. I went and sat in my car and waited but she went back inside. My question is, a week after that I got a letter in the mail stating I need to pay a civil fee of $150.what should I do?

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2 Lawyer Answers
H. Scott Aalsberg
H. Scott Aalsberg
Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • East Brunswick, NJ
  • Licensed in New Jersey

A: We are not supposed to give specific legal advise on this site on what to do, but you can setup an in office consultation with an experienced lawyer. What I will say is that arguments exist on both sides on whether or whether not to pay it. Either way I would contact the court in which the store was in to see if they filed a criminal complaint for shoplifting against you.

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Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • Milltown, NJ
  • Licensed in New Jersey

A: If there's a civil case then I bet there's criminal too. Contact the court to confirm bc if you miss court you'll have a warrant.

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