CALGARY- A woman who was found guilty of tampering with food at a southwest grocery store is now suing the Calgary Co-op chain.
Tatyana Granada served three years behind bars, for inserting pins, needles and nails into food items like bread, cheese and produce at the Oakridge location.
Now that the 47-year-old mother is out of jail, she has filed a lawsuit asking for $8 million in damages. She claims the grocery chain is responsible for emotional distress and defamation, adding her husband took his own life.
None of the allegations have been proven, and legal experts say the suit likely won’t hold up in court.
“These kind of lawsuits that don’t have any merit do tie the court up. Fortunately, there are shortcuts that wrongfully sued defendants can take to have baseless lawsuits struck before they have to spend money going to trial,” explains lawyer Clint Suntjens. “The courts are equal access to everybody, and as long as you have the filing fee you can file anything you like.
“It doesn’t mean the case is going to be proven against the person you sued, and it doesn’t even mean the person has done anything against the law or wrong.”
During the criminal case, court heard revenge was the motive for the food tampering, and Grenada has been banned from Co-op stores for life.
Her lawsuit could actually end up costing Granada more in legal fees, if court quashes the suit and orders her to pay Co-op’s costs.
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