Dupree v. Piggly Wiggly Shop Rite Foods, Inc.

542 S.W.2d 882
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 14, 1976
Docket1061
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 542 S.W.2d 882 (Dupree v. Piggly Wiggly Shop Rite Foods, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dupree v. Piggly Wiggly Shop Rite Foods, Inc., 542 S.W.2d 882 (Tex. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinions

OPINION

NYE, Chief Justice.

Plaintiffs, Margaret Dupree and husband, Charles Dupree, Jr., brought suit against Denco Security Systems, Piggly Wiggly Shop Rite Foods, Inc., R. B. Denson and I. B. I. Security Service, Inc., for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. The ease was tried before a jury which answered special issues favorable to Mrs. Dupree concerning false imprisonment, but found that Denco Security Systems on the occasion in question was acting as an independent contractor for Piggly Wiggly. Based on such findings, the trial court denied plaintiffs .any recovery against Piggly Wiggly. Mrs. Dupree has timely perfected her appeal to this Court.

The plaintiff, Margaret Dupree was a married woman, 56 years of age and mother of four children. .At the time of the incident in question, Mrs. Dupree was very active in both school and church activities and had never, before the occasion in question, been charged with a criminal act.

Defendant, Denco Security Systems, is a private investigation company who, at the time in question, worked exclusively for Piggly Wiggly Shop Rite Foods, Inc. The two security guards who participated in the false imprisonment of Mrs. Dupree were Eddie Bo Wilson and J. 0. Harris, both being employees of Denco. The defendant, Piggly Wiggly, is a corporation doing business in the State of Texas, in the retail grocery business. Piggy Wiggly had a contract with Denco whereby Denco was to provide external and internal security services for its stores. The store manager of the Piggy Wiggly store at the time the incident made the basis of the lawsuit occurred, was Mr. Jerry Michalik.

Mrs. Dupree testified during the trial that on the afternoon of October 23, 1969, [885]*885at about 2:30 p. m. she entered the Piggy Wiggly store, located on Cavalcade Street in Houston, Texas, for the purpose of buying some groceries and other non-food items. The evidence reflects that she had been a frequent customer in this store for the past year. Mrs. Dupree testified that while in the store, she purchased some cupcakes, a package of salami, a small toy rocket, two pairs of beads, a candy bar and a pair of panties. Mrs. Dupree was checked out by Thelma Feak, one of the store’s checkers. She received a sales receipt for the above items and then left the store.

Upon arriving home, Mrs. Dupree noticed that she was out of milk. Her daughter complained that the type of salami her mother had purchased was a type which she did not like. Mrs. Dupree then decided it would be necessary for her to return to the store for the milk and try to exchange the salami for another kind. Upon entering the store, the second time that day, Mrs. Du-pree carried with her a large shopping bag which she stated contained those items she had purchased earlier in the day.

Mrs. Dupree testified that she went back to the meat counter to exchange the package of salami, but could find no other type of salami. She then went by the toy section to look at the toy rocket and beads to see if she could find some that were better packaged than the ones she had previously purchased, but found them to be the same. She then picked up some other items (bread, root beer, chicken, milk and ice cream) and proceeded through the check out stand at which time she paid for them.

After Mrs. Dupree left the store, two men approached her, told her that they were the police and that she was under arrest. Those two individuals were later identified as J. 0. Norris and Bo Wilson, security agents for Denco Security Systems. Although the evidence is conflicting, it appears that Mrs. Dupree was told by the two security guards that they were arresting her for shoplifting. Mrs. Dupree was then taken back into the store by the two guards and back to a storeroom in the rear of the store. Everything was then taken out of her purse and billfold. Mrs. Dupree testified that she gave one of the guards the sales receipt she received earlier in the day showing that those items she was accused of shoplifting had been paid for. One of the guards admitted that Mrs, Dupree gave him the sales receipt covering the questioned items, but he testified that it did not correspond with the prices of those items she was accused of shoplifting. He said that he gave the sales receipt back to Mrs. Dupree.

Mrs. Dupree testified that she stayed in the storeroom for approximately an hour and forty-five minutes and was not allowed to leave nor was she allowed to use the telephone. She repeatedly denied that she had taken any merchandise without first paying for it. Mrs. Dupree reiterated to the guards that she had purchased the items earlier that same day and requested the security guards to talk with the checker (Thelma Feak) so that her story could be verified. The two guards refused to do so. Although the value of the merchandise allegedly stolen was only of the approximate value of $2.12, the security guards decided to file criminal charges for shoplifting against her. The evidence showed that the store manager, Mr. Miehalik, was in the back storeroom with the two security guards and Mrs. Dupree approximately half the time that she was back there.

One of the guards called the police department and requested that police officers be sent to pick her up. Two Houston uniformed police officers subsequently arrived and led her out of the store and took her to the Houston Police Station. Mrs. Dupree was fingerprinted, photographed, booked and then placed in jail. She stayed in jail until later that evening when she was finally released on bond. The criminal complaint filed against her by the security guards was subsequently dismissed on February 17, 1970.

On June 6, 1970, Mrs. Dupree initiated this lawsuit. The defendant, Piggly Wiggly Shop Rite Foods, Inc., answered the [886]*886lawsuit contending that the incident complained of was proximately caused by the acts of a third party (Denco) over whom it had no control and that Denco was not an agent, servant or employee of Piggly Wiggly-

The trial of the cause commenced on January 13, 1975, and was tried before a jury. In answer to certain special issues submitted, the jury found that: Mrs. Dupree did not commit the offense of shoplifting; that Mrs. Dupree was falsely imprisoned; that Norris and Wilson (guards) participated in the false imprisonment of Mrs. Dupree; that Michalik (store manager) did not participate in the false imprisonment of Mrs. Dupree; that guards Norris and Wilson participated in the filing of the criminal complaint against Mrs. Dupree; that Mi-chalik (store manager) did not participate in the filing of such complaint; that Norris and Wilson (guards) did not have probable cause to believe Mrs. Dupree had committed a criminal offense; that Norris and Wilson (guards) were not acting as employees of Piggly Wiggly on the occasion in question; that Denco was acting as an independent contractor on the occasion in question; that the reasonable and necessary medical and legal expense incurred by Mrs. Dupree was $650.00; that the sum of $25,000.00 would reasonably compensate Mrs. Dupree for the damages she sustained; and found no exemplary damages should be assessed against Piggly Wiggly.

The plaintiff then moved for judgment regarding defendant, Piggly Wiggly Shop Rite Foods, Inc., contending that by reason of the jury’s answers and as a matter of law, judgment should be entered against Piggly Wiggly for the amount of actual damages of $25,650.00.

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542 S.W.2d 882, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dupree-v-piggly-wiggly-shop-rite-foods-inc-texapp-1976.