Dollar Tree Sued Over Negligent Security Following Sexual Assault at Colorado Springs Store

A Colorado Springs woman has filed a lawsuit against Dollar Tree, claiming the retailer’s staffing practices left shoppers unprotected and directly enabled a sexual assault inside one of its stores. The case, filed in El Paso County, Colorado, isn’t a class action — it’s an individual negligence claim — but it’s part of a pattern lawyers say is showing up at Dollar Tree locations nationwide.

Quick Facts

Type of Claim	Premises liability / negligent security (individual lawsuit, not a class action)
Defendant	Dollar Tree Stores, Inc.
Court	El Paso County District Court, Colorado
Incident Date	March 2025
Incident Location	Dollar Tree, North Academy Boulevard, Colorado Springs, CO
Plaintiff	Identified only by initials in press coverage, consistent with standard practice for sexual assault victims
Case Number	Not publicly confirmed as of this writing
Status	Recently filed; Dollar Tree has responded publicly but has not yet filed a formal court response
Last Updated	September 9, 2026

What the Lawsuit Alleges

According to reporting on the complaint, the plaintiff was targeted by a man inside the store who engaged in indecent exposure and sexually assaulted her. The man was later criminally charged and convicted — not just for this incident, but for a separate, similar assault at another Dollar Tree location. The lawsuit doesn’t rest on that one incident alone. It argues Dollar Tree’s practice of running stores with a single employee on duty, often positioned only at the register with no view of the rest of the store, created a foreseeable danger — and that the company kept staffing that way despite knowing about prior incidents at its stores.

That’s the legal core of a negligent security claim: it’s not enough to show something bad happened on a company’s property. The plaintiff has to show the company knew, or should have known, that the conditions it created made this kind of harm likely — and failed to act anyway.

Why This Isn’t an Isolated Complaint

Attorneys behind this case point to a documented pattern: at least 11 women have reported similar incidents at Dollar Tree stores across multiple states, and the trend gained enough attention that The Guardian published an investigation into it in July 2026. A similar lawsuit was already filed in 2024 after a comparable assault at a Dollar Tree in the River Oaks area of Houston, where attorneys made nearly identical arguments about understaffing. Neither case is a class action — each plaintiff is suing individually over what happened to her — but taken together, they build the kind of pattern evidence that makes a negligent security claim easier to prove: this wasn’t a one-off, and the company had reason to know.

Dollar Tree’s Response

Dollar Tree has said publicly that the safety of its associates and customers is a top priority, that it takes reports of unlawful or harassing behavior in its stores seriously, and that it cooperates fully with law enforcement when made aware of criminal activity. The company hasn’t yet filed a formal response to the Colorado complaint, and none of the allegations have been proven in court.

What This Means If You Were Affected at a Dollar Tree

If something similar happened to you at a Dollar Tree — or any retailer — you may have your own individual premises liability claim, separate from any of these existing lawsuits. A few things worth knowing:

• You don’t need to be part of an existing lawsuit to pursue your own claim. Negligent security cases are typically filed individually, not as a class action, because damages depend heavily on what happened to you specifically.
• Documentation matters. Incident reports, store surveillance footage requests, medical records, and police reports all strengthen a negligent security claim.
• These claims have deadlines. Personal injury statutes of limitations vary by state, generally between one and three years from the date of the incident, so timing matters if you’re considering legal action.
• A personal injury or premises liability attorney can evaluate whether a retailer’s staffing and security practices at your location meet the legal bar for negligence — that’s a fact-specific question that depends heavily on the store, the neighborhood, and any prior incidents there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Dollar Tree lawsuit a class action?

 No. This is an individual premises liability lawsuit filed by one plaintiff. It’s separate from any class action process, and there’s no claim form or settlement fund to file into.

What is a negligent security claim?

 It’s a type of premises liability lawsuit arguing that a property owner’s inadequate security — understaffing, poor lighting, lack of cameras, no response to prior incidents — created a foreseeable risk of harm from a third party’s criminal act, and that the owner failed to address it.

Has Dollar Tree been sued over this before?

 Yes. A similar lawsuit was filed in 2024 over a comparable incident at a Dollar Tree in the Houston area, also alleging that understaffing created a dangerous environment for shoppers.

Can I file my own lawsuit if something similar happened to me? 

Potentially, yes. Speak with a personal injury or premises liability attorney about your state’s filing deadlines and what evidence would support your specific claim.

Has Dollar Tree admitted any wrongdoing?

 No. The company has said it takes safety seriously and cooperates with law enforcement, but it has not admitted fault, and the allegations in this lawsuit haven’t been proven in court.

Sources Used in This Article

• KRDO — “Lawsuit filed against Colorado Springs Dollar Tree following sexual assault arrest,” August 21, 2026: https://krdo.com/news/2026/08/21/lawsuit-filed-against-colorado-springs-dollar-tree-following-sexual-assault-arrest/
• Boing Boing — coverage of the El Paso County, Colorado lawsuit, August 31, 2026: https://boingboing.net/2026/08/31/dollar-tree-sued-over-public-masturbation-incidents.html
• Business Wire — “Woman Sues Dollar Tree Following Sexual Assault at River Oaks Area Store,” May 2024: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240520426979/en/Woman-Sues-Dollar-Tree-Following-Sexual-Assault-at-River-Oaks-Area-Store

Related reading on AllAboutLawyer.com: Top 10 Slip and Fall Lawsuits: What Happened, Who Won, and How Much They Paid Out — background on how premises liability claims work and what courts look for in evaluating property owner negligence. If you’re weighing a claim of your own, our Personal Injury section covers how to evaluate a case and find an attorney.

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against contemporaneous news reporting on the filed complaint, as of September 9, 2026. Last Updated: September 9, 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) offers free, confidential support.