Earlier this year, Townhall reported how a Nordstrom store in San Francisco’s massive Westfield Mall announced that it would shut down for good amid rising crime. In addition, AT&T announced that its flagship store in the city would close for several reasons, with “street conditions” being one of them.
Now, one retailer is suing the owners of the Westfield Mall for failing to bump up its security measures during this crime wave.
American Eagle, one of the remaining tenants in the Westfield Mall, is suing the mall owners for allowing it to “deteriorate into disarray” and for not implementing measures to prevent rising crime.
According to the lawsuit, which was obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, between May 2020 and May 2023, the store experienced more than 100 “significant security incidents” ranging from verbal assault to customers flashing guns at those in the store. Consequently, store staff was left “to suffer and respond to gun violence, physical assaults, burglaries, and robberies.”
Reportedly, American Eagle believes that Westfield neglected its security and management responsibilities.
“Westfield cannot walk away from the harm that it has caused without consequence,” American Eagle’s lawsuit said. “It must be held accountable for the damages caused by its failures and broken promises.” The lawsuit was filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court.
“Westfield cannot walk away from the harm that it has caused without consequence,” American Eagle’s lawsuit said. “It must be held accountable for the damages caused by its failures and broken promises.”
According to multiple reports, sales at the American Eagle store decreased to $298 million in December 2022 from $455 million in 2019. Foot traffic in the mall decreased to 5.6 million visits last year compared to 9.7 million in previous years.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court. Reportedly, American Eagle is demanding “all actual and compensatory monetary damages” for breach of contract regarding mall security and maintenance outlined in the lease that goes through 2028.
In June, Westfield told Fox News that it had stopped making payments to Brookfield Properties on a $558 million loan securing the San Francisco Centre property.
"For more than 20 years, Westfield has proudly and successfully operated San Francisco Centre, investing significantly over that time in the vitality of the property," the company said in a statement. "Given the challenging operating conditions in downtown San Francisco, which have led to declines in sales, occupancy and foot traffic, we have made the difficult decision to begin the process to transfer management of the shopping center to our lender to allow them to appoint a receiver to operate the property going forward."