| 4/1/2008 10:04:14 AM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | | 
1pinkstar
Omaha, NE
age: 54
| I am not condoning stealing and an accountability for the action is important.
However,the "legal service" fine leads people to fear a lawsuit when none is likely. It is a shakedown, extortion.
This deprives the accused of due process. It is designed to make people settle because they think they are going to jail.
The legal intent of the law is a recoupment of losses, not to make a profit by suing over and over.
True, there should be some consequence to shoplifting. Why not a diversion program and community service? The bar association here teams up with the Boys Scouts and volunteers run the classes, which seem to be successful.
This program includes 40 hours of community services, and include:
Writing letters of apology to victims, parents, or store managers
Writing an essay on an assigned topic
Touring a jail
Meeting curfew requirements
Attending school regularly
Improving grades
Finding part-time jobs
Works well here! I have done some volunteer work with the Diversion Program for Youths.
[Edited 4/1/2008 10:06:03 AM]
| | 4/1/2008 10:41:27 AM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | | 
genieus
Parkville, MD
age: 60
| Have you seen the document he signed at Walmart? If he signed something, he should have been given a copy. No use speculating when you haven't checked the facts. That document might clear up your questions.
| | 4/1/2008 12:49:35 PM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | |
1pinkstar
Omaha, NE
age: 54
| Even if the document was signed, there is a rebuttable presumption.
| | 4/1/2008 12:57:55 PM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | | 
nicksterdemus
Little Rock, AR
age: 50
| I have a idea it went like this: Sign admission of guilt or we'll call the cops.
I'm also confident that the young man was all too ready and agreeable for that option.
I'm sure he was given an option, took the lesser of two evils as he saw it and now wants to crawdaddy on his obligation.
Whatcha expect? He wanted what he wanted in the first place and didn't want to pay for it then so why would he want anything different now?
[Edited 4/1/2008 12:59:18 PM]
| | 4/1/2008 1:57:02 PM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | | 
jewelz5
Monteagle, TN
age: 54 online now!
| pinkstar: The legal intent of the law is a recoupment of losses, not to make a profit by suing over and over.
The LEGAL intent of the law IS extortion an it IS a shakedown 100%. The legal system is based on the 'color of law' and it is not 'LAWFUL'. There is no due process it is a joke and it is in place designed to extort money from your personal treasury account by way of getting you into court so the administrator of the corporate U.S. (the judge) can have the 'clerk of the court' write the bond to steal money from you and rape and pillage your personal treasury account.
This happens ANYTIME you sign one of their documents. (traffic ticket, etc.) The little ticket or fine is 'nothing' in comparison to what they are extorting from your account. The court system is a scam on the American people to rape and pillage your personal treasury account and keep you enslaved and subjugated to tie up your time so you don't actually have a life. That is its job. Attorneys cannot help you, they are only able help the corporate fiction U.S. to pay the Queen her money on the bankruptcy.
The owner of the store and the one who stoled the goods can work it out among themselves and there needs to be 'no' 3rd party involved. It is none of the legal systems business what happened between the 2 parties. They stick their dirty hands in other peoples business to drain the American peoples pockets in a never ending vacuum so you can NEVER get ahead in your life. It has been 'designed' that way ON PURPOSE and it is a conspiracy against your very life so you cannot be free. If there was no injured party, no one needs any fiction 'legal' intervention, the 2 parties can decide among themselves what to do.
| | 4/1/2008 2:00:32 PM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | | onelife2live
Janesville, WI
age: 44
| I refuse to shop at walmart.jmo...funny pic marc
| | 4/1/2008 8:30:58 PM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | |
1pinkstar
Omaha, NE
age: 54
| Jewelz: Our system of justice may not be perfect, but I believe it is the best in the world or I would not work in the profession.
Do you have a better idea or is everything so depressing for you there is no hope?
God, I would hate to feel as doomed as you must.
JMO
Ouch, Marc...I don't have those, but it looks hurtful
[Edited 4/1/2008 8:34:02 PM]
| | 4/2/2008 12:23:30 AM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | | 
lostinwyoming
Evanston, WY
age: 51 online now!
| start callin lawyers and ask if they do pro bono work,lawyers have to do a certain amount of charity work,by law.have a lawyer check it out and see if he's being scamed.if not, send him down to the cop shop and confess his crime and see what the fine is for shoplifting.or he could just pay them and not have it on his record for life. jmo.
| | 4/2/2008 7:19:05 AM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | | wildgypsy
Bellevue, WA
age: 89
| No legal judgement, no record. More like call the local courts and verify as to whether or not a judgment was rendered.
Truth is, for something like this, you really don't need an attorney. I would be willing to bet that a significant amount of their clients are simply intimidated by the legal field, and that is the only reason they are hired. Seriously folks, ain't all that scary.
| | 4/2/2008 5:24:32 PM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | | 
cornman
Philadelphia, PA
age: 51
| Thank you, everyone, for your opinions and insight! Since I posted this question, I did further Internet searches. When I entered the "law firm" of Bennett and DeLoney, I found nothing but negative information regarding this collection agency, that's right, it's a collection agency. So when you shop at Walmart, and if you are unfortunate enough to be accussed of shoplifting, or I'm guessing here, bounce a check or have any problem regarding payment, apparently they give or sell your name, address and other information to a collection agency. I, that's right, someone other than the accussed shoplifter has to put up with harrassing phone calls, morning, noon and night because I happen to live in the same home as the accussed, dealing with a collection agency that has many state attorney generals filing harrassment charges against them for trying to collect excessive fines for long ago bad checks, according to the "law firm", and other questionable financial claims. Who else is Walmart selling or giving this and other personal information to? Just when I thought it was safe to shop at Walmart, after the Chinese product scares(lead paint), and their poor employee treatment, now I have second thoughts. Once again, in no way am I condoning shoplifting. If you see in my original post, the very second line is "Yes he was stupid" for stealing. I, myself, stopped shoplifters for 28 years when I worked for Pathmark supermarkets, almost dying due to being slashed with a boxcutter and having guns pulled on me and threatened with dirty needles! What I believed happened with my son was he was trying to impress his friends and forgot what me and his schools taught him. But, that does not give a major chain the right to sell or distribute his personal information. Either call the cops or make him pay for the merchandise, which was recovered by the way. The last time I heard from this "law firm", I told them in no uncertain terms, "If you call here again, I will contact every local news station and ask the consumer reporters to do an investigation." I also saw they finally sent something in writing. Turns out it is nothing but a post office box number, another red flag! With any collection agency, I saw in a news invesigation that coincidently was shown last week, if you tell a collection agency to stop calling you, they have to comply. Time will tell. It's a shame, too, but also a blessing, what with everything that has occured, I hope my son has learned a leason. With everything that kids do in this world today, I hope he doesn't try anything worse. Kids, glad I never was one! W.C.Fields.
| | 4/5/2008 8:31:54 PM | Accussed of shoplifting at Walmart, "legal service" civil fine | |
1pinkstar
Omaha, NE
age: 54
| 
at least he didn't have to wear this sign.
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