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Got caught shoplifting at Walmart but wasn't charged. Received a settlement offer for 200$, but I'm incredibly low on money.
Anonymous3 views2 answers
I was caught shoplifting at Walmart: A pair of headphones that I removed from the case and two quarts of car fluid. The total cost amounted to less than 20$, so the store elected to simply take my information and turn me loose.
However, I received a letter in the mail today that said "Persuant to the 'Texas Theft Liability Act', Walmart may consider moving forward with a statutory civil damages claim against you." The amount charged was $200.
Now, I've BARELY got the money to pay this fine. However, this will severely inhibit my ability to go to school and afford the necessities to get there(namely, gasoline).
So I'm curious: What is the probability of Walmart pursuing a civil damages case against me if I elect not to pay it due to my tight money?
Most lawyers advise people not to pay the demand. If you do not pay it, several follow-up and more demanding letters will follow. If you ignore them, then they will finally stop. The only way to enforce the recovery of the money is to sue you which means for them more money for lawyers, filing fees, discovery, etc. It is not cost-effective.
In addition, paying or not paying the civil demand will not affect whether or not criminal charges are filed. You might still receive a notice to appear in court in the form of a ticket.
You don't owe them anything. In order for you to owe them something they would have to sue you and win. This would cost them substantially more than they can ever hope to recover and as such they don't pursue it. They send out these letters hoping that you don't know better and simply send them the money. I generally advise clients to ignore these civil demand letters.
