Pepper Spray Incident at Walmart Could Have Been Avoided

KTLA news is reporting that the woman suspected of perpetrating the pepper spray incident during a Walmart Black Friday sale may have acted out of necessity.  According to the story, a Los Angeles Police official is quoted as having said, "There was no control. People were getting stampeded and trampled. There were people screaming, yelling that they were being trampled or crushed. This woman may have fired her pepper spray in self-defense."  Initially, media reports and public sentiment seemed to suggest 32 year-old Elizabeth Macias had acted out of malice or a reckless desire to secure an X-Box console during a buying frenzy.  This may not have been the case.

See the KTLA news story HERE.

When a business owner creates or at least allows a potentially volatile situation to exist on their property, ultimately causing injury to someone, they may be held liable.  Under California law, in general a business owner has a duty to use reasonable care to protect patrons from another person's harmful conduct on the owner's property if the business can reasonably anticipate such conduct.  In the case above, it seems a reasonable inference that Walmart could foresee a Black Friday sale of X-Box consoles, if not well controlled, could get out of hand and lead to customer injuries.  Beyond this, assuming that store employees actually witnessed the shoppers were getting unruly and acting aggressively toward one another before the release of the pepper spray, then Walmart could be liable for failing to intervene in time to avoid the injuries that followed.

Compensation for the victims of criminal assaults, occurring on business property, should be an important concern for all Californians. When a business patron is injured because protective measures were not taken by a business owner, the owner should be held accountable and compensation paid to the victim.  An Orange County injury lawyer with experience at handling such cases can make a fair assessment of these claims.  Mr. Ralph has more than 20 years of experience handling personal injury cases, including just this type.  He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.

Have you or a family member been a victim of an assault that could have been prevented?

Nothing in this post is intended to suggest the Law Offices of Paul W. Ralph currently represents anyone involved in the news story above. This posting should not be construed as legal advice or an opinion on the merit of any particular matter. A consultation is the best way to obtain an assessment of your potential case.