Lawsuit filed over debit card incident at Somerset Collection

A Lathrup Village woman filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Detroit Friday, alleging that two Troy police officers and a store at the Somerset Collection violated her rights in a dispute over a debit card that was declined.

Charvelle Carter of Lathrup Village, a Black woman, says in the lawsuit that the Louis Vuitton store deprived her of “full and equal enjoyment” of its goods and services because of her race, in violation of the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.

The lawsuit says Troy police and the store “acted with malice,” and engaged in unreasonable seizure and detention, violating her rights under the 4th Amendment and 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution..

She is asking a jury to award her compensatory and punitive damages.

She alleges in the lawsuit that she attempted to make a $2,500 purchase on April 6 at the Louis Vuitton store in the Somerset Collection shopping center at West Big Beaver Road and Coolidge Highway.

Her debit card, which was linked to her checking account, was declined, although Carter said she had ample funds to cover the purchase. She attempted to resolve the issue with her bank but was placed on hold.

Troy police said in a statement last week that the store’s computer system identified the card as stolen; Carter said in the lawsuit that she could see the computer screen and no such notification ever came up.

The store cashier or her supervisor called mall security, which contacted Troy police.

The lawsuit alleges that Carter showed officers a driver’s license that matched the name on the debit card. She asked them to speak to her bank representatives so the issue could be cleared up.

She told police she no longer wanted to make a purchase and asked if she could leave. The police told her she was not free to go, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that an officer “forcefully” grabbed her driver’s license and demanded to see the debit card.

An officer instructed her to end her call to the bank, “stating that she might be doing ‘something suspicious with the bank’” the lawsuit said.

Later, an officer called the number on her card, but was placed on a lengthy hold and was unable to verify the status of the card.

The officer allegedly told Carter that if he couldn’t get through, he would arrest her.

She pleaded with police to remain on hold for as long as it took, but the officer eventually hung up and told her he was confiscating the card, according to the lawsuit. Carter was released. Troy police said in a statement last week that they “strongly denounce any assertion that the actions taken by our officers were based on race.”

Sgt. Jason Clark said in an email Monday that he could not comment on the lawsuit other than to say the department stands by the statement issued, which said, “The customer was never placed under arrest, or furthermore handcuffed at any time. She was asked to remain at the store while officers were on scene conducting the investigation.

“She was also asked repeatedly to assist officers in verifying the validity of the card and she repeatedly refused.

“The Troy Police Department responds to each call for service we receive in a professional manner. If a business in our community calls to report a crime we have a duty to respond and investigate.”

The lawsuit names “Officer Shearer” and another unnamed Troy officer, Louis Vuitton North America Inc. and the unnamed saleswoman who attended to Carter as defendants.

As media reports broke last week of the debit card dispute with Carter, another Black customer came forward to report racial discrimination at Louis Vuitton, according to Carter’s attorney, Stephen Lovell.

Lovell said he is also representing Cartyea Mathies of Southfield, who alleges that in August 2020, she made a $2,000 purchase and was told that she could not get a Louis Vuitton box for her purchase due to a shortage.

As she was inquiring about whether boxes would be available in the future, two white women completed purchases and were given boxes, Lovell said.

“It was only after the two white women received their boxes that Ms. Mathies was told a box was found in the back for her,” Lovell said in an email.

Charvelle Carter of Lathrup Village, a Black woman, says in the lawsuit that the Louis Vuitton store deprived her of “full and equal enjoyment” of its goods and services because of her race, in violation of the state’s ElliottLarsen Civil Rights Act.