Burton Viestenz v. Fleming Companies, Inc.

McKAY, Circuit Judge.

Appellee Burton Viestenz, a resident of Missouri, was formerly employed at a Missouri supermarket owned by appellant Fleming Companies, Inc. (Fleming), a Kansas corporation. Based on reports that it had received, Fleming, in 1975, suspected that Mr. Viestenz had been stealing merchandise from the store on a regular basis. At that time, Sentinel Security Services, Inc. (Sentinel) was under contract to Fleming for the provision of investigative services. Sentinel is a corporate entity separate from Fleming which performs such services in many states for various clients,…