Family Dollar Stores and manager sued for assault and battery

A Philadelphia woman has filed an assault and battery complaint against Family Dollar Stores Inc. and one of its employees over an incident in which the plaintiff was allegedly physically beaten after being accused of using her young daughter to steal merchandise.

Philadelphia attorney Lawrence G. Metzger filed the civil action May 10 at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on behalf of Tammiria Minnick.

The defendants named in the lawsuit are the Family Dollar location at 6555 Green St. in Philadelphia and city resident Talika Vaughn, who is identified in the lawsuit as the store’s manager at the time of the alleged incident.

According to the complaint, Minnick was shopping at the retail location with her 4-year-old daughter on October 13, 2011, when store employees accused her of using the youngster to steal items from the business.

After purchasing items at the store, the lawsuit claims, Minnick was “verbally accused” in front of other shoppers of using her young child as a pawn.

Following the accusations, Vaughn began to physically attack Minnick, beating the plaintiff about various parts of her body, the complaint alleges.

As a result of the incident, Minnick suffered severe physical pain, mental anguish, inconvenience, humiliation, loss of self-esteem and loss of life’s pleasures, the lawsuit claims.

Her injuries included head trauma, post-traumatic TMJ dysfunction, serious headaches, depressed mood and emotional anxiety.

Minnick has also incurred medical expenses related to the treatment of her physical injuries.

The complaint contains counts of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and slander.

The suit states that Family Dollar Stores Inc. is named as a codefendant because it is partially liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior for the conduct of its employee and is liable for the damages suffered by the plaintiff.

“Defendant, Family Dollar Stores Inc., is also liable to plaintiff because of its hiring of a person with vicious propensities such as defendant, Talika Vaughn, and negligently hiring a person such as defendant Vaughn to work in its store, creating a danger to all who came in,” the lawsuit states.

Minnick demands unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

The matter is scheduled to go to arbitration early next year.

 

The case ID number is 120500614.