June 28th, 2010
When a shoplifting or employee theft incident occurs there are two laws that have potentially been violated; a civil law and a criminal law. Local law enforcement authorities address criminal law issues regarding theft. Civil laws, enacted by state legislatures to address retail theft, are generally known as civil recovery laws. They grant retailers the specific right to recover damages and/or civil penalties from shoplifters and dishonest employees.
The intent of these laws is to discourage repeat offenses of theft by penalizing the theft offender and/or to make theft offenders responsible for a portion of the cost society pays to prevent, detect, apprehend, and document the improper acts. Businesses incur substantial costs to combat theft, as well as law abiding citizens who pay these costs in the form of higher prices.
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June 28th, 2010
The Law Offices of Palmer, Reifler & Associates, P.A. is a law firm organized under the laws of Florida that represents its clients in matters of theft, typically shoplifting and employee theft. You may have received a call from Palmer, Reifler because its client has identified you as a responsible party in an alleged theft by either you or possibly a minor in your custody. If this is the basis of the call, the matter was reviewed by the client and submitted to the law firm, before the civil recovery call was made to you. Many times, the file undergoes a review at the firm prior to any call or letter being transmitted. These are legitimate property rights claims most often based on the civil statutes of your state and entitling the client to make demand for damages and/or civil penalties. In some instances, the call you received from Palmer, Reifler may pertain to a dishonored check or other bad debt claims by the client and is, likewise, based on our client’s representation of how the claim arose.
The matter can be resolved with Palmer, Reifler by calling 1-888-572-5637 or by going to www.PalmerPay.com and settling the matter through a secure payment web site. It is helpful to have the case number nearby for quick reference.
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June 28th, 2010
Palmer Reifler & Associated – FAQ’s
Do I still have to go to criminal court if I pay the civil demand?
Yes. Payment of the civil demand takes care of the civil matter referenced in the letter only. If there is a criminal court action (you would most likely have either been arrested or given a Notice to Appear by a police officer for this to apply), then you need to comply with the rules of the criminal court that has jurisdiction for the criminal matter. Payment of a civil demand does not relieve you of possible criminal liability but would ensure that you would not have any further civil liability for that particular claim. Restitution claims to cover losses sustained for items that were not recovered may be addressed in a separate civil claim or may also be addressed during criminal proceedings.
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June 24th, 2010
In most shoplifting cases the merchandise is recovered. The purposes of the damage requests are to compensate the retailer for expenses associated with shoplifting, to punish for the act and act as a deterrent to further shoplifting and often to help recoup losses stemming from those shoplifting and theft acts where the perpetrators are not caught. Even when the merchandise is recovered and the shoplifter is apprehended, there are still significant expenses to the retailer. The retailer has sustained a property right injury in the form of a trespass to the property and also suffered a loss because of the time and expense involved during the course of the investigation, apprehension, detention and subsequent documentation of the incident.
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June 24th, 2010
When a shoplifting incident occurs there are two laws that have potentially been violated; a civil law and a criminal law. The local authorities handle the criminal law. The civil law was put into effect by state legislatures for all retail establishments. They use this law to compensate for the losses that are generated by shoplifters who get away with theft, to compensate for the expenses associated with combating theft and to penalize theft offenders for their improper acts and deter them from repeating the offense in the future. The stores did not create these laws; they simply make use of the state statutes.
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June 11th, 2010
The Law Offices of Palmer, Reifler & Associates, P.A. is a law firm with a focus on civil recovery law. Based in Florida, with offices in California, Texas, Georgia, and Illinois, extended by a nationwide attorney network, the firm represents regional and national retailers in matters of shoplifting and employee theft. ‘Shrink’, as it is known in retailing, costs retailers approximately 30 billion dollars a year. Civil recovery statutes were enacted in all fifty states to provide some relief for retailers by allowing retailers the opportunity to pursue its losses as a civil matter. Palmer, Reifler & Associates pursues these civil claims on behalf of its retail clients.
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