A lawsuit filed in St. Charles District Court accuses store personnel at a Boutte Walmart of unlawful detainment and search.
Plaintiff Ramona Lewis claims she visited the Walmart on Highway 90 in Boutte on Dec. 2, 2019, where she hoped to find a certain type of tablet still available on sale on Black Friday. The tablet was no longer in stock, however, and because she didn't need anything else, Lewis proceeded to exit the store.
Upon arriving at the exit, Lewis says she was stopped by a store greeter and was held to be searched, despite no reasonable cause to do so, according to the complaint filed March 11. Lewis was allegedly forced to sit on a bench and wait for store management to come and execute another search because she was believed to have been shoplifting due to the short amount of time she spent in the store without making a purchase.
Lewis requests damages for emotional suffering and embarrassment in being detained in public for no apparent reason through Walmart's negligent infliction of emotional distress. She is represented by Faucheux Law Firm of LaPlace.