Henry Jacques v. Sears, Roebuck & Company, Inc.

Summary

The Court of Appeals affirmed the Appellate Division’s dismissal of the false arrest claim, holding that Section 218’s "detention" defense includes arrests outside the store and subsequent police custody when reasonable, that the jury’s finding of reasonable detention bars damages for the entire period, and that the lower courts’ discretionary judgment was proper. The decision relied on statutory language, legislative history, and prior case law.