Lawsuit seeks $60,000 from Greenbrier Mall shoe store

By JOHN HOPKINS, The Virginian-Pilot

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A pair of socks from a Chesapeake store could ultimately come with a price tag of $60,000 or more now that the courts are involved.

The parents of a North Carolina girl have filed a lawsuit against a shoe store in Greenbrier Mall after the girl tried on shoes using what she thought were typical courtesy socks.

When the girl’s parents were told they had to buy the socks, a brouhaha followed inside the store. A crowd gathered.

The commotion drew mall security. In all of the yelling, the family was allegedly called sock thieves, according to the lawsuit.

Now the family wants $50,000 in compensatory damages and $10,000 in punitive damages from Genesco Inc., which does business as Journey’s shoe store.

Officials at Genesco could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

The episode slandered and defamed the teen and caused her to suffer embarrassment and humiliation, according to the lawsuit. Being called a sock thief aggravated the teen’s migraine headaches, requiring medical treatment, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit was filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court by John Gunn of Colerain, N.C., on behalf of his 16-year-old daughter. Gunn was with his wife and two daughters on the afternoon of April 22, 2005, when the family went shopping for shoes at the store, according to the lawsuit.

The teen inquired about several types of shoes. She settled on some flip-flops.

When the teen asked to try on another pair of shoes, the sales clerk gave her a pair of footies that were too small, according to the lawsuit. A sales clerk gave the teen permission to use another pair of socks to try on the shoes, the lawsuit said.

The shoes, however, did not feel comfortable and were not purchased. The socks were returned to the employee, according to the lawsuit.

When the family went to the checkout counter to purchase the flip-flops, an employee insisted that they pay for the socks, too.

The family questioned the reason they would have to pay for the socks. After some discussion, however, the family agreed to pay.

The family’s bankcard, for some reason, would not work although there was ample money in the account, according to the lawsuit. The family did not have any cash .

The store employee “became very abusive,” took the socks and placed them with two other pairs, then advised the family that they now had to purchase all three pairs of socks because they had now all been “contaminated,” according to the lawsuit.

At some point, Gunn requested that nearby security guards come into the store to help resolve the situation. In front of the two guards, a mall manager and a number of unknown spectators, the employee repeatedly accused the family of “stealing s ocks.”

The family’s attorney declined to comment.