I always advise my clients to ignore the demand, and I have not seen any downside. They count on a certain percentage of people being intimidated by the demand and coughing up the money. Whether you pay this extortion or not has nothing to do with the criminal case, on which you must still appear.
Do I have to pay the $375.00 civil claim from Nordstrom's for the petty theft charge I just received?
Asked on
Tuesday, Sep 04, 2012
I was caught shoplifting $250.00 worth of clothes from Nordstrom's. I have a court date in two weeks, but I just received a civil demand from them for $375.00. Do I have to pay this? And if I do, do I still have to go to court?
Answers
I have represented many clients who have been arrested at Nordstrom's. Not one of them has ever been sued for failing to pay the civil demand.
You must still go to court. The Court date you were given is the first stage in the State's criminal case against you. The civil demand is is unrelated to the criminal case. The civil demand is Nordstrom "offering" to take the $375 in exchange for agreeing not to file a civil lawsuit against you. You have no legal obligation to pay the civil demand. Often, they will not bring the threatened lawsuit. However, many times the amount they will take can be negotiated down to an amount where it may be worth it to you to avoid the risk and worry.