Palais Royal, Inc. v. Orton
Palais Royal, Inc. v. Orton
Opinion of the Court
This appeal-is from a judgment of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia awarding damages against appellant, defendant below, on a charge of false imprisonment.
Peterson then let go of her arm and followed her to Palmer’s office. She told Palmer what had occurred, and stated that she did not want the return of the purchase money for the beads, but she wanted a refund slip showing that she had made a purchase in the store. She was furnished with this and then left the store. Her testimony as toi the conduct of Peterson is uncorroborated. On the contrary, it is contradicted by a number of witnesses who saw what occurred, and also by the testimony of Palmer, who inquired of plaintiff whether Peterson had touched her, to which she answered, “No.”
It is unnecessary to enter into any detailed statement of the testimony, since the evidence totally fails to establish a case of false imprisonment. Accepting the testimony of the plaintiff, and disregarding the testimony of the other witnesses, the most that the case discloses is one of assault by Peterson; but this is not charged in the complaint, nor is it the theory upon which the case was tried. For the complete variation, between the averments of the declaration and the proof as adduced by the plaintiff, the judgment cannot be sustained.
The judgment is reversed, with costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.