Longtime Kroger employee fired after thwarting shoplifter files lawsuit against grocery chain

A Michigan woman who worked at a Kroger store for more than three decades filed a lawsuit against the grocery chain over her firing, which came after she thwarted a shoplifter attempting to steal a cart full of alcohol. 

"This is devastating," Beverly Bennett of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, told Click on Detroit. "I’ve always had my own money and worked my whole life, and then to have nothing."

The incident unfolded on Sept. 16, 2021, when Bennett was working as a cashier at the store in Lincoln Park and noticed a man attempting to leave with the cart of alcohol. The lawsuit outlines that part of her job was theft prevention, and she approached the man asking him to provide a receipt for the liquor, according to the lawsuit. 

ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT NEEDS STRICTER PENALTIES, US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TELLS CONGRESS

The man did not present a receipt, so Bennett called for backup, she told Click on Detroit. The lawsuit states Bennett then put "great peril to herself" and attempted to stop the man from pushing his cart out the store’s doors. 

She "brandished a standard carrying basket from the store to ensure that she was not attacked, injured, or otherwise harmed," according to the suit. 

"I swung it at the basket, and I told him, ‘Don’t touch it. You’re not getting this cart,’" Bennett recounted to Local 4. 

SHOPLIFTERS CASUALLY ROB CALIFORNIA MARSHALLS AS PEOPLE WATCH, EMPLOYEES DO NOT REPORT CRIME

The man ultimately left the cart and ran off. The lawsuit states he was not taken into custody by police. 

Bennett’s lawsuit adds that she was lauded as a "hero," and "congratulated, thanked" by coworkers and her supervisor after the incident.

But two days later, she was temporarily suspended, according to the suit. Then she was fired, despite Bennett saying she has an excellent record in her more than 31 years with the company. 

"Kroger surprisingly terminated (Bennett’s) employment on or about Sept. 29, 2021, notwithstanding (her) stellar career with Kroger as a valued employee," the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit argues that Kroger "was truly utilizing the actions taken by (Bennett) as a mere pretext to getting rid of an old employee who they essentially wanted to simply discard."

Bennett, 61, is protected under the Elliot Larson Civil Rights Act 453 that protects employees from discrimination, including age-based discrimination, according to the suit. 

SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR, POLICE CHIEF PROMISE CRACKDOWN ON SHOPLIFTING: ‘WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS’

Since her firing, Bennett has lost income, suffered emotional damages, and surrendered pension and benefits, she said. 

"I feel devastated, and I feel like I was treated wrong," she said. 

"I believe this case represents a blatant betrayal of a loyal employee who worked for Kroger for over 30 years and provided dedicated service without a blemish in her file," Bennett's attorney, Gregory Rohl, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "Bev did nothing but successfully thwart a would be shoplifter as she was instructed and as she was entitled under Michigan law ie. Merchant's Privilege." 

Bennett added that loyal customers of the Kroger location have inquired about her whereabouts and have been told that she retired. 

"No, I didn’t retire," Bennett said. "I didn’t have a retirement party. I didn’t say bye to anybody -- none of that, because I was terminated because I thought I was doing the right thing."

A Kroger spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the company does not comment on pending litigation. 

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE 

Shoplifting crimes have swept the nation in recent months, most notably over the holiday season by bands of thieves in various cities across California and in cities such as Chicago.