A woman has filed a fraud lawsuit against Neiman Marcus, alleging that the store allowed her estranged husband to buy more than $1 million in goods from a personal shopper with whom he was having an affair. To add insult to injury, the items were bought using the woman’s own Neiman Marcus charge account, and the personal shopper received a hefty commission on everything that was purchased.
According to the lawsuit, the woman’s husband began to buy her gifts following a serious car accident in 2007 which left the woman injured and homebound for the next three years. He purchased jewelry, handbags, furs and home décor items with the help of a personal shopper employed by the store. The woman did not learn that the high-priced items were being charged to her account until her husband filed for divorce in 2010. It is not known whether their divorce case has yet been finalized.
The woman’s attorney says that the spending on his client’s account increased exponentially, going from about $100,000 in 2006 to a staggering $850,000 in 2009. Therefore, he says, the store was clearly aware of the dishonest arrangement but did not take action to stop it, allowing the store to make a substantial profit and the personal shopper to earn large commissions on the husband’s purchases.
Now, she is seeking to return the items to the store for a full refund. But despite the fact that Neiman Marcus has a generous return policy which allows customers to return and receive store credit for any items with which they “are not completely satisfied,” the store will not allow her to return the goods purchased by her husband.
Source: The Huffington Post, “Neiman Marcus Divorce: Woman Sues Neiman Marcus For Fraud In Love Triangle,” Linda Stewart Ball, May 31, 2012