GREENBELT, Md. (Legal Newsline) – A retailer alleges a Maryland woman utilized return fraud schemes for financial gain and cost it hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Nordstrom Inc. filed a complaint on Oct. 5 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Deborah Schwartz alleging trespass to chattel, tortious interference with prospective advantage, intentional misrepresentation and fraud.
According to the complaint, between 2014 and 2016, Schwartz completed more than 5,809 transactions with Nordstrom Inc. where she intentionally misrepresented material facts to benefit financially from Nordstrom's price adjustment and return process. The plaintiff alleges the defendant's actions caused it to sustain a direct loss of $630,000.
The plaintiff alleges the defendant used 27 different credit cards, three gift cards, six online customer profiles and two email addresses to "hide her fraudulent activities."
The plaintiff holds Schwartz responsible because the defendant allegedly obtained possession of plaintiff's merchandise by fraud, interfered with its prospective business advantages and made false representations for the purpose of defrauding it.
The plaintiff seeks compensatory damages in an amount of more than $75,000, interest, attorneys' fees, cost and other relief the court may find just and proper. It is represented by Tamara B. Goorevitz and Miranda D. Russell of Franklin & Prokopik P.C. in Baltimore, Maryland.
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland case number 8:18-cv-03080-GJH