Former UPS employee sues for $6 million over arrest

A former UPS driver is suing over claims he was wrongfully arrested.

Rashad Bernard Clay filed a lawsuit Oct. 31 in the Circuit Court of Cook County against UPS Group Freight Inc. and Synnex Corp., citing false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Clay alleges that he was employed by UPS in April 2007 as a truck driver. According to his  suit, 100 laptop computers scheduled to be delivered to Synnex went missing on Sept. 9, 2011.

He claims UPS performed an investigation that targeted him and led to his Nov. 3, 2011. arrest. Clay asserts in his suit that UPS never questioned him about the missing computers and that he did not take the computers.

As a result of his arrest, Clay was placed on house arrest for nine months, according to the complaint.

He claims in his suit that a Synnex employee falsely testified against him, the defendants never had reasonable grounds to believe he stole the computers and that they acted without probable cause.

Clay is seeking $6 million in compensatory damages, lost earnings, humiliation and mental anguish, suffering and punitive damages. He is being represented by Elizabeth D. Tate.

Circuit Court of Cook County Case No. 2013L012034.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.