LAWYER: When Security Won't Let You Leave - Say THIS to Walk Out Legally

When a security guard or store employee steps in front of you at a retail exit and physically or verbally blocks you from leaving, almost every person does the same thing. They stop. They feel trapped. They feel accused. They feel like the guard has the authority to hold them there and there is nothing they can do except comply until the situation resolves on the store's terms. Here is what almost nobody knows. A private security guard blocking your exit without meeting a specific legal threshold is not exercising authority. They are committing a civil wrong. It has a specific legal name. It is called false imprisonment. And it does not require handcuffs or a locked door to apply. Any physical or verbal act that restrains a person against their will without legal justification qualifies.