Woman sues Exide Technologies for making false statements about her

CHARLESTON -- A woman is suing Exide Technologies, Inc., after she claims defamatory remarks were made about her.

Exide Technologies, Inc. d/b/a Exide Technologies; Mark Redman, individually and in his position as warehouse manager of Exide Technologies; The Battery Terminal, Inc.; and James C. "Chip" Womack, individually and as the director/owner/operator of The Battery Terminal, Inc., were also named as defendants in the suit.

Jerri M. Trent's husband was formally employed by Exide Technologies until his termination on Sept. 19 for a conflict of interest that involved him selling junk batteries from his home to one of the customers of Exide, according to a complaint filed Dec. 7 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Trent claims the defendants then began making defamatory, false, insulting, unsubstantiated, offensive and damaging statements that she allegedly had stolen batteries that were the defendants' property.

Some time prior to Trent's unlawful arrest upon the defendants' derogatory, offensive, untrue, offensive and harmful accusations, Trent had entered into an oral contractual agreement with Womack and/or the Battery Terminal, where Trent would sell them 292 batteries for the price of $14 per battery, according to the suit.

Trent claims Womack contacted Redman and told him she was selling stolen batteries.

The statements were "false, derogatory, defamatory, harmful, offensive and insulting" to Trent's personal and professional reputation, according to the suit.

Trent claims the defendants had no proof that the batteries were stolen and caused her financial damages, a false arrest, unlawful seizure of her property, public humiliation, embarrassment and emotional distress.

The defendants' actions were wanton, willful and in reckless disregard of the truth, according to the suit.

Trent is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. She is being represented by William C. Forbes.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge James C. Stucky.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 11-C-2178