Jacques v. Sears Roebuck & Co.

In this action for false arrest and imprisonment defendants pleaded and proved and the jury found that there were reasonable grounds for detaining plaintiff and that the detention was for a reasonable time. “ Section 218 of the General Business Law makes reasonableness of arrest available to retail stores and their employees as a defense to civil false arrest suits ” (People v. Horman, 22 N Y 2d 378, 380, cert. den. 393 U. S. 1057), and when they “ have reasonable grounds for suspecting a person of having in his possession unpurchased merchandise * * * such person may be detained in a…