A man who purchased a lawn tractor at the Edwardsville, IL Home Depot went back inside to buy some more stuff while employees loaded his tractor onto his truck.

After his items were placed in a Home Depot bag, he says he was stopped by the manager and accused of shoplifting the items.

From the Madison County Record:

“The manager alleged that the plaintiff stole the items he purchased for $19.12,” the complaint states.

Marshall alleges the Edwardsville Police were called to the scene to investigate the allegations he shoplifted and throughout the investigation he was able to produce the receipt for the items that were alleged to be stolen.

He claims that the false allegations of theft to the Edwardsville Police caused him to suffer mental anguish, emotional distress and a loss of earning.

Represented by Brian Polinske of Edwardsville, Marshall is seeking damages in excess of $50,000, plus costs of the suit.

Why on earth would anyone buy a tractor that costs $3,200 and then shoplift $20 worth of stuff? Even if he did shoplift $20 worth of stuff—he just bought a $3,200 tractor. Who cares? If we owned a store we’d have a policy that anyone who pays over $3k for a glorified lawnmower gets to shoplift at least $30 worth of stuff before we call the cops.

Home Depot customer claims he was falsely accused of shoplifting [Madison County Record]
(Photo:kilgore)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.