If Citizens Arrest Was Made Against Me – Can I Sue the Person That Made a Citizen’s Arrest?
In the event that you are detained falsely or falsely imprisoned by someone making a citizen’s arrest, you may be able to bring an action in a lawsuit based on any personal injuries, losses or damaged sustained in that action.
What Is False Imprisonment?
False imprisonment is when you are out and about, and someone stops you from being free to move around. For example, you will be falsely imprisoned if you experience someone:
- Restricting your freedom of movement
- Stopping you from moving or leaving an area, even for 1 minute
- Blocking your way from leaving a room or area
- When you believe your freedom of movement is limited
- Physical barriers are put up and you don’t know how to get around them
- You are unable to “escape” an area you are locked in
- You are restrained by physical force which overpowered you
- You are restrained by physical force where you submitted
- You are restrained by apparent or actual threats of harm if you leave
- You are restrained to leave an area by someone who you think has the authority to make you stay put in an area
- You reasonably believe that if you leave an area, you will be hurt from losing your job or suffer economically
- You believe you will be taken into custody and arrested by someone
Citizen’s Arrest Is Actually Narrowly Construed, Not an Open Opportunity to “Arrest” Someone
If a person is making a citizen’s arrest, it is not meant to cover every conceivable situation where a person can be arrested. A citizen’s arrest can be made under specific situations, such as if a misdemeanor crime has been committed, and a citizen wants to hold the believed perpetrator to assist the police. A citizen’s arrest can also be made for a felony crime if the citizen has a reasonable belief that the crime was committed, or probable cause to believe that the arrested person did commit that felony crime.
False Imprisonment Can Include Shopkeeper’s Privilege or Shop Owner’s Detainments
If you are falsely imprisoned by a store owner, you may have a case that will be supported by a lawsuit. In the event that you are falsely accused of a criminal action and detained by a store owner, you may have a case at law for your personal injuries, losses and damages. The police are highly trained to stop individuals in a store or retail environment, but shop owners or store owners are not as highly trained and can inflict personal injuries trying to stop someone in a store.
“Help, I Was Falsely Imprisoned in a Store, What Do I Do Now?”
If you were falsely imprisoned in a store by the owner, manager, supervisor or employee of that store, you need to give us a call today. A store worker or owner may not be permitted to falsely imprison you in that store, because there are appropriate and inappropriate uses of the citizen’s arrest powers. If you are illegally detained in a store, and were not detained for the right reasons, you may have a lawsuit that will apply to that case. For example, if you were detained in a store, what was the reasonable level of suspicion that was applied to your situation by the person detaining you? These questions actually need to have been thought of by the person detaining you, and the answers had better be correct!
People are not permitted to go around fake “arresting” other people, because that would be a criminal action in itself. A person can be detained on a reasonable suspicion, or a good faith belief that the individual did something wrong that warrants being detained. All in all, there are many questions that need to be answered in those cases before they become appropriate actions for someone to detain another person.
Can You Be Detained for Alleged Shoplifting?
If a store owner has a reasonable belief that someone shoplifted in the store, the store owner, managers, supervisor or employees may detain the person. These cases are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and a reasonable grounds standard will apply to all situations in these cases. The reasonable amount of time will be a timeframe whereby the shop owner, operator or employee can reasonably investigate whether the person being detained did or did not commit a crime. It is easy to see how the privilege to detain someone can be abused quite completely.
It is also important to understand that these standards will need to be reviewed in a court of law. That is because a subjective standard in these types of cases will not “cut the mustard,” and will not fly in a court of law. That is why you need to call us at the Normandie Law Firm today. If you feel you have been treated out of something akin to the Wild Wild West, where people are applying their own version of the “law,” then you need to discuss your case today with our legal team.
Can I Sue the Business or Security Company for False Imprisonment?
Yes, you can sue the business or security company for being falsely imprisoned at their business or retail store. You are in good hands, when you call us at the Normandie Law Firm. You can talk to our legal team of attorneys, who specialize in cases where someone is personally injured and falsely imprisoned.
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You can call us today to talk to an experienced attorney in Los Angeles about your claim for being personally injured and falsely imprisoned. This is an easy call for you to make, because you are going to also get a zero-fee guarantee. No money down needs to be given for us to start to work with you now on your claim for being personally injured and falsely imprisoned.
Free Second Opinion
We are here to help you with a free second opinion on your case of being personally injured and falsely imprisoned. Just talk to our lawyers who can help with your personal injury claim today.
Can I Sue for Personal Injuries from being Falsely Imprisoned?
Yes, we can sue for being personally injured and falsely imprisoned. You can discuss your case with our Los Angeles case lawyers today. You can file a lawsuit on the merits of your case, and get advice from our case attorneys in Los Angeles right now.
Call for a Free Consultation
You can call us for a free consultation, when you have been personally injured and falsely imprisoned. We are here to talk to you about your claim.
