Alabama Man Jailed Four Days for Paying With Legitimate $100 Bills at Walmart

A federal court in Alabama refused to dismiss vicarious liability claims against Walmart after a customer was arrested for using valid 1996-series $100 bills.

Walmart Faces Lawsuit After Customer Jailed Over Old $100 Bills in Mobile, Alabama

A federal court in Alabama has denied Walmart's motion to dismiss vicarious liability claims filed by a customer who spent four days behind bars after attempting to pay $500 on his Walmart credit card using five $100 bills, Courthouse News Service reports.

The bills, printed as part of the 1996 series, were not counterfeit — they were simply old. An off-duty police officer employed by Walmart as a security guard arrested the man on suspicion of passing fake currency.

The court found that the officer was acting in his capacity as a law enforcement officer at the time of the arrest, not as a Walmart security employee. That distinction is central to the plaintiff's vicarious liability argument against the retailer.

Despite the legal complexity of that distinction, the court said it was "narrowly persuaded" that the claim against Walmart should not be dismissed "at this stage of the litigation."

The ruling allows the case to proceed, meaning Walmart must continue defending against allegations that it bears responsibility for the arrest carried out by a guard on its premises.

Source: Courthouse News Service