A new lawsuit alleges that a retail employee at an American Eagle store in San Francisco had a gun waved in his face while working at a strip mall.
The brand is suing mall chain Westfield, saying it allowed its San Francisco site to “fall into disarray” amid a mass exodus of retailers from downtown.
The filler claims Westfield breached its lease agreement by allowing the site to fall into such a state of neglect that staff were forced to “subject themselves to gun violence, physical assault, break-ins and robberies.” wealth.
The lawsuit alleges that between May 2022 and May 2023, employees encountered more than 100 “significant security incidents…where customers repeatedly brandished firearms while verbally assaulting store employees.”
American Eagle added that it had paid millions of dollars for the store, but Westfield “takes no responsibility for allowing these issues to affect its malls. It places all the blame on San Francisco.”
In documents filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, the retailer’s attorneys added: “To make matters worse, Westfield closed its management offices at the mall, leaving American Eagle alone to deal with Westfield’s unmonitored common areas and its issues. .”
It later added: “Westfield neglected its obligations and allowed the mall to become, in Westfield’s words, a lightning rod for ‘rampant criminal activity.'”
The brand’s bosses say they will almost double security spending from 2022 to keep staff safe, but they are unfazed by landlords shifting responsibility to the council: “Westfield cannot escape the harm it has caused without facing the consequences.”
There was no immediate response from Paris-based Westfield. of wealth Request for comment.
San Francisco is indeed dealing with a host of issues: from homelessness to drug addiction to crime.
according to a 2022 CountingThere are more than 7,750 homeless people in San Francisco. Among them, about 3,360 people live on the streets and about 4,400 people sleep in shelters. Around 6,000 women are homeless at any one time and face “overwhelming” violence.
American Eagle isn’t the only store facing this acute problem. In April this year, Whole Foods Market announced that it would close its flagship store in downtown San Francisco. Citing employee safety.
The decision was made in san francisco standard Hours of operation were reportedly changed due to shoplifting, while Bathroom usage rules introduced Because staff found syringes and tubing at the facility.
Meanwhile, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said late last month that it might be time for the company’s top conference, Dreamforce, to leave that location.
Benioff told the outlet that “if this Dream Force is affected by the current problems of homelessness and drug addiction, it may be the last Dream Force in the city.” san francisco chronicle in a interview Released in August. (Benioff at least partially pushed back on those comments on Wednesday, when he said he urged San Francisco officials to clean up the city ahead of Dramforce and was pleased with the results.)
American Eagle did not immediately respond of wealth Request for comment.
Westfield’s Dilemma
American Eagle is seeking compensation from Westfield “for losses resulting from its failures and breach of trust” but it joins a host of businesses trying to squeeze cash out of the European company.
The company, which owns 75 malls in 12 countries, said in June it planned to default on a $558 million loan and give up control of the San Francisco factory.
in a statement CNN At the time, Westfield said the decision was made due to “challenging operating conditions in downtown San Francisco, resulting in decreased sales, occupancy and foot traffic.”
While American Eagle and its affiliated brand Aerie stores are still open at Westfield Mall, it is one of a significantly reduced number of stores.
In the West Coast city, researchers found that 47% of stores in Union Square, the city’s historic shopping district, had been closed since before the outbreak.
Reporter from san francisco standard Cross-referencing brands that were in place in 2019 with those still around in 2023, the likes of fashion retailer Coach, skincare brand The Ordinary and shoe designer New Balance have all closed.
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