Harrel v. Dillards Department Stores, Inc.

PRESIDING JUSTICE LEWIS

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant, Dillards Department Stores, Inc., appeals from a jury verdict in favor of plaintiff, Una Harrel. The jury awarded plaintiff $40,000 in compensatory damages and $40,000 in punitive damages on her claims of common law defamation and a new tort theory of compelled self-defamation. The factual basis of plaintiff’s claim is that defendant’s assistant store manager fired her after accusing her in front of her supervisor of attempting to steal merchandise from the store at which she was employed.

Defendant presents four issues for…