DALLAS, May 31 (UPI) -- A woman sued posh U.S. retailer Neiman Marcus for refusing to take back gifts she said her ex-husband bought for his lover, her personal shopper at the store.
The lawsuit said Patricia Walker had spent three years bedridden while recovering from a traffic accident when her then-husband Robert Tennison's spending at the Dallas store rose sharply because of lavish gifts he bought as he allegedly was having an affair with Favi Lo, his wife's personal shopper at Neiman Marcus, ABCNews.com reported Wednesday.
Walker's attorney, Mark Ticer, said Lo earned a big commission from the sales made using Walker's account. Ticer also noted a tie between the sales spike from 2007 to 2010 and the affair.
"Ms. Walker had no idea it was going on at all. She was in the perfect spot to be vulnerable after the horrible accident," he said.
In 2010, Walker wanted to return the goods to the store, known for its generous return policy. Neiman Marcus sent employees to examine the merchandise, but never followed through or offered an explanation for not taking them back, Ticer said.
The attorney said the luxury items are in storage.
Neiman Marcus declined a request for comment, citing the lawsuit, ABCNews.com said.
Lo, who Ticer said was never disciplined and remains employed with the high-end retailer, also declined to comment.
Walker, unaware of the affair, closed her account in 2010. She learned about it several months later during divorce proceedings, Ticer said.
For Walker, the lawsuit is about more than getting her money back, he said.
"The real villain in this case is Neiman Marcus," Ticer said. "After learning of this affair decided they weren't going to do anything about it."
