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Lawsuit: Security Measures Puts Workers In Danger

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May 20, 2008 9:43 pm US/Central

Lawsuit: Security Measures Puts Workers In Danger

Reporting
Jay Gormley
IRVING (CBS 11 News) ― One of the largest check-cashing companies in America is facing a lawsuit. Several former employees of ACE Cash Express, which is based in Irving, claim the company fired them for not following security procedures. They claim those procedures would have put their lives in grave danger.

Tina Marie Smith still has the scar where she was shot during an armed robbery nearly six months ago. Smith was opening an ACE Cash Express store in Bedford when a gunman forced his way into the store. Smith had two choices: Open the safe or key in a security code on the safe that would call for help.

"That key pad automatically shuts everything down, even the safe," said Smith. "You're basically locked in there with him [the gunman]. That is crazy."

Smith decided to open the safe. Shortly after that, she said she accidentally fell toward the gunman. That's when he shot her. Smith said she was never officially fired by ACE, but she said, "They stopped paying me. They refused to pay my vacation, my sick time, my personal time."

Four former employees of ACE Cash Express in Denver have similar stories.

"I honestly thought I was going to die," said Monica Perea, a former ACE Cash Express Employee. "I thought I was never going to see my children ever again. I was terrified."

The four filed a lawsuit claiming they were wrongfully terminated because they opened the safe at gunpoint rather than punch in a panic code that would have called police.

"[The gunman] told me not to put in a f-ing code in there or he would kill us," said another former ACE employee, Felicia Dia. "What did you expect me to do with a guy standing there with a gun telling me he's going to kill us?"

ACE, has 1,700 stores nationwide that provide check cashing and financial services. The former employees from Denver who worked at different stores believe the gunmen would have certainly killed them if they triggered the panic code.

A spokesperson for the company admits that the company has fired employees in the DFW area for not following security procedures.

The following is the entire response ACE Cash Express sent to CBS 11 News:


"ACE Cash Express regrets these incidents.

ACE has a 40 year history of developing effective safety and security procedures intended to maximize the protections available to our employees in response to the unfortunate risk of robberies and other criminal activity.

ACE is confident that it acted appropriately with regard to these unfortunate incidents in Colorado, has denied the allegations of any wrongful or unlawful employment actions and will defend its actions in this legal matter."

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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