Man Sues Costco For $670,000 After Receipt-Checking Incident Leaves Him With A Broken Leg

Over the years we’ve told you about all kinds of crazy situations – from pepper-sprayed employees to arrested customers – that arose when a consumer refused to show their receipt when leaving stores like Sam’s Club and Best Buy. Now a man in Oregon is suing Costco for $670,000, claiming that a receipt-checking dispute left him with a broken leg.

The Oregonian reports on the lawsuit involving a Jan. 2013 incident, in which the Portland man refused to stop and show his receipt after making purchases worth $102.66 at the wholesaler.

The man says he didn’t stop because he doesn’t believe the store’s employees had the right to detain him based on Costco’s receipt-checking policy.

While that’s all well and good, employees didn’t see it that way and one grabbed the man’s cart, preventing him from leaving.

When the employee wouldn’t let go of the cart the man allegedly grabbed him by the shirt collar and physically moved the employee away.

That’s when, according to the suit, another employee used a “martial arts type strike with his leg,” that led to the broken bones.

The man is seeking $150,000 for past and future medical expenses, $20,000 for lost wages and $500,000 for pain and suffering.

The lawyer representing Costco filed a motion regarding the incident stating that the man’s injuries were “the sole and direct result of his own conduct, fault and negligence” because he attacked the employees first.

A lawyer representing the man says instead of resorting to a detainment and possible physical confrontations when consumers don’t abide by receipt-checking policies, the store should simply cancel the customer’s membership.

A couple years ago, a former Costco employee told Consumerist that checking receipts is both a matter of loss-prevention and to make sure that customers were not overcharged.

Man won’t show Costco Wholesale staff receipt, suffers broken leg, sues for $670,000 [The Oregonian]