Shoplifting and the Store's Civil Claim
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-564a — the store may sue for its costs, the value, and up to $1,000 more, within two years
A person eighteen years of age or older, or an emancipated minor, who takes goods offered for sale without the owner's consent intending to keep them without paying, or who changes a price tag, is liable to the store in a civil action.
Who handles this in Connecticut: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Connecticut directory.
- The store may recover the actual and reasonable costs of the action, a reasonable attorney's fee included.
- And the retail value of goods not recovered, or recovered in a condition that cannot be sold.
- And punitive damages of not more than $1,000.
- No criminal conviction is needed first. If the store does not prevail, the court may award the defendant costs and attorney's fees.
- The action is brought within two years of the act.
The same goes for farm produce taken from the property where it is grown for sale. Public Act 26-130 rewrote the section from 1 October 2026. The criminal charge is larceny, graded by value: $500 or less is larceny in the sixth degree, a class C misdemeanor.
Sources for this section (2)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-564a — Liability for shoplifting
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-125b — Larceny in the sixth degree: Class C misdemeanor
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Connecticut attorney.