$500,000 verdict – convenience store robbery – shooting of bystander

Convenience stores are naturally crime prone businesses.  There are well-known procedures for these businesses to follow to keep customers and employees safe.  The most important thing is to never fight over money, and avoid injury and loss of life wherever possible.  Life is much more important than money, and businesses are aware of that.  There are recognized guidelines for operating convenience stores which require store operators to give up any money, get the criminals out of the store as quickly as possible without risk to persons, and to then lock the doors and call the police.  This case shows what happens when convenience store operators put money ahead of public safety.

Leighton Panoff Law’s John Elliott Leighton obtained a $500,000 verdict for the family of a shooting victim in Palm Beach County. The verdict followed a week-long trial against the operator of a convenience store.

The man was shot by armed robbers fleeing from the robbery of a convenience store.  The criminals had completed their robbery and were leaving the store.  There were five robbers and they were armed with semi automatic weapons.  The operator left the store and gave chase at high speeds.  He kept following the criminals instead of calling the police and locking the doors to the store (nobody had been hurt during the robbery).  While he was chasing the armed criminals, the robbers made a u-turn and pointed a weapon toward the chaser and fired.  They missed, and the bullet struck our client’s husband.  The the owners and operators of this convenience store who were found to be negligent and the jury awarded $500,000.00.  Salomon v. Austin Trading, et al.

 

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