Opinion ID: 1776784
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: did the trial court err in allowing the jury to consider the claim of negligent training.

Text: ¶ 29. Dollar General argues that the jury should not have been allowed to hear Gamble's claim of negligent training. Dollar General had a written shoplifting policy that stated that no employee should leave a store to go after a suspected shoplifter and no employee should ever touch a shoplifter. Dollar General argues that this policy was provided to Thornton and that she read and understood the policy. Gamble asserted at trial that merely providing the policy to Thornton, without actually providing any training, was sufficient evidence to establish a claim of negligent training. ¶ 30. Dollar General asserts that Mississippi law requires the plaintiff to call an expert witness on retail store shoplifting procedures in order to establish that Dollar General's training was inadequate and negligent. Dollar General cites M.R.E. 703 and Langston v. Kidder, 670 So.2d 1, 3 (Miss.1995). However, neither of these authorities establishes a rule that Gamble must produce expert witnesses to establish that Thornton did not receive training or that the lack of training was negligence. ¶ 31. Gamble has simply misstated her issue with regard to her claim for negligent training. Instead of claiming that Dollar General's training was inadequate or negligent, Gamble's claim is better understood as an allegation that Dollar General provided no training. Stated as an issue of no training, the jury could infer Dollar General's negligence without the need of expert testimony on proper or adequate training. The jury could properly find that Dollar General was negligent in failing to provide training to Thornton. ¶ 32. There was also testimony that Thornton, a regional manager, was required to go to other stores to train employees in dealing with shoplifting. However, other than receiving a booklet, there was no evidence that showed that Thornton had received any training. Based on Dollar General's failure to show any training provided to Thornton, other than handing her a manual, it was proper to allow the jury to consider the issue of negligence for Dollar General's failure to train its employee. This issues is without merit.