s there anything that I can do if I got caught stealing $60 shoes but the store is sending me a $400 bill?
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s there anything that I can do if I got caught stealing $60 shoes but the store is sending me a $400 bill?
I think they are charging me so high because I’m white and live in a rich area.
Asked on January 25, 2014 under Criminal Law, California
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
You can refuse to pay and force them to sue you for the money, at which time they'd have to prove the cost of the shoes and other charges they are seeking to collect. Of course, if you do that and they do sue: 1) you'll have to spend time (and money, if you hire an attorney; or money indirectly, as in time out of work) to defend yourself; 2) there will be a public record of you being sued and presumably being found liable (even if only for a lesser amount) for stealing. Also, they choose to report the theft to the police, if they haven't already. All in all, paying them the extra $340, if they will also sign a document that they will not take any further action against you, may be, comparatively speaking, a bargin.
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