“I work at Urban and she is accusing you of a direct violation of company policy.”
A Los Angeles woman claims she was wrongly accused of shoplifting at Urban Outfitters. Her friend documented the entire experience and posted it online.
TikTok creator Jailahh (@jailahhbrianna) posted a series of videos about the experience. The first photo showed her friend Catelyn Jennefer (@catelynnj) walking back and forth at the counter with an employee who later identified herself as the manager.
Jennefer is an influencer, model and brand ambassador who frequently collaborates with Fashion Nova and is a former partner of rapper YG. They have two daughters.
It appears that another employee alerted the manager that they believed Jennifer had taken a dress that she was not going to pay for. The manager said she examined the camera and believed the footage corroborated another employee’s version of events. Jennifer denied she stole anything and said any items the manager saw her taking were already her own property.
Whatever happened to this Los Angeles woman from Urban Outfitters?
At the time of the taping, it seemed like the problem between Jennifer and her manager was that Jennifer wanted the manager’s name and the woman didn’t want it given to her.
Jennifer threatened to call the police and the manager continued to refuse to give her name, insisting she saw Jennifer wearing a skirt on camera.
“Would you also rewind the camera and see when I take all these things off, I’m holding my clutch bag, [expletive]? “Jennifer said. She then took out her clutch bag from under the Hello Kitty blanket she was wearing and said that was what the manager saw her holding.
The interaction continued, with Jennifer and the manager arguing about the sequence of events. Jennifer continued to insist that she had not stolen anything and wanted to know the manager’s name and information. The film ends with Jennefer and Jailahh leaving the store.
Who is wrong?
In the comments section of the video, viewers weighed in on the idea of being wrongly accused of shoplifting. They also evaluated the way Jennifer and the manager addressed each other.
One viewer said: “You were right at first but once you got rude and started swearing and insulting you automatically lost all respect.”
“I wish I could argue like this. My voice would be shaking, my eyes watering, my breathing heavy,” said another viewer.
“As someone who has worked in retail for almost 10 years, never blame the customer,” wrote a third viewer. “This can be seen as discriminatory and can escalate quickly. You can use a reinstatement statement or just let it go. An item should never cost you your job.”
In a third video, another person commented: “I also have a lot of tattoos. It’s certainly a profile. When I go to the store I’m followed all the time. People are quick to make judgments and assumptions.”
What happens if you are wrongly accused of shoplifting?
In California, taking $950 or less of merchandise from a store without paying for it is considered misdemeanor shoplifting. If convicted, a person can serve up to six months in county jail and be fined up to $1,000. So it’s understandable why someone would be very upset to be blamed for this behavior, especially if they didn’t do it.
Because of the serious consequences, shoplifting charges must be supported by evidence. It’s unclear what the manager saw in the film, so we don’t know exactly what happened in this situation. Perlman & Cohen note that videos sometimes fail to capture the full scope of what happened. In other cases, even events caught on camera may be difficult to decipher.
If a person is later able to prove that they were falsely accused of shoplifting, a false arrest or even defamation lawsuit can sometimes be filed against the agency. However, this usually only applies where a person has been wrongfully detained or where his or her reputation has been damaged by the incident.
AllHipHop reached out to Jennefer via TikTok private message for comment. We also reached out to Urban Outfitters via email for comment. We will update this story if either party responds.
@jailahhbrianna @Urban Outfitters ♬ Original Sound – Jailahh FrFr
