Home Depot has intimidated thousands of customers accused of shoplifting into collectively paying millions of dollars to have such accusations dropped, even though the company has no intention of suing, a class-action suit alleges. The suit claims that the big box retailer is using Californias Civil Shopping Law as "a profit center" by arbitrarily seeking "damages" from accused customers. According to the complaint, filed in Alameda, Calif., Superior Court, Jimin Chen and a friend went shopping at a Home Depot in San Leandro on June 6. Before loading lumber onto a cart, each man put on a pair of $3.99 work gloves, to protect their hands. Before Chens $1,445.90 purchase was rung up, says the complaint, he removed his gloves and left them on top of the merchandise in his cart, where they were plainly visible. The checkout personnel, however, failed to scan the gloves. Immediately after Chen paid, and before he had left the store, he was accosted from behind, according to the complaint, by a Home Depot security guard, who told him he had failed to pay for the two pairs of gloves.
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