Best Buy Sued $54 Million for Lost Laptop

A woman is suing Best Buy for $54 million because she claims the consumer-electronics retailer lost her laptop while it was in for repairs and tried to cover up its disappearance.

"It's a ridiculous number," admitted Raelyn Campbell, 37, of the $54 million figure. "I had to come up with a number that was significant enough that might force them to pay attention to me."

In her lawsuit filed Nov. 16 in Washington Superior Court, Campbell also claims the Richfield-based company failed to immediately notify her of the possibility of identity theft. She wants Best Buy Co. Inc. to change its practices and ensure customer privacy protection in the future. She is seeking punitive damages, plus the cost of her computer and expenses for identity-theft protection.

A Best Buy spokeswoman said the company already gave Campbell $1,110.35 for the cost of the laptop and warranty, as well as a $500 gift card for her inconvenience.

"We've done what we can to try to learn what went wrong," Best Buy spokeswoman Nissa French said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "We're obviously embarrassed and disappointed that we were unable to resolve this customer's issue. We've tried to resolve this dispute and feel badly that it escalated to a lawsuit."