Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Cockrell

61 S.W.3d 774 (2001)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
W
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Cockrell

Texas Court of Appeals
61 S.W.3d 774 (2001)

Play video

Facts

In November 1996, Karl Cockrell (plaintiff) was detained by Raymond Navarro, a loss-prevention officer, while Cockrell was attempting to leave a retail store owned by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Wal-Mart) (defendant). Navarro asked Cockrell to follow him into a manager’s office, where Navarro asked Cockrell to take down his pants and remove his shirt. Cockrell had a large bandage covering a surgical wound on his stomach, and Navarro asked Cockrell to remove the bandage as well. Two additional Wal-Mart employees were in the office when Cockrell was forced to remove the bandage. Finding no evidence of theft, Navarro apologized and allowed Cockrell to leave. Following the incident, Cockrell suffered mental anguish and became withdrawn. Cockrell eventually brought a claim of false imprisonment against Wal-Mart. At trial, Cockrell’s parents testified that Cockrell refused to leave the house following the incident and that his relationship with his father suffered. The jury returned a verdict for Cockrell and awarded $300,000 in damages. Wal-Mart appealed the decision.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Dorsey, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 804,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 804,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 804,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Torts

Key Terms