A routine carpet installation at a grandparents' home in Peculiar turned into a criminal case and now a civil battle, with a Kansas City-area family suing Nebraska Furniture Mart after a contractor molested an 8-year-old child on June 26, 2025. The complaint, filed in Cass County Circuit Court, names Nebraska Furniture Mart, the subcontractor Tapia Flooring and installer Enrique L. Martinez, who pleaded guilty in January to two counts of statutory sodomy. The lawsuit says the child, identified as Jane Doe, and her relatives continue to suffer severe emotional harm.
What the lawsuit says
According to KCTV, the Accurso Law Firm filed the case on behalf of Jane Doe and her family, alleging that Nebraska Furniture Mart advertised in-home carpet installation but instead arranged for a third-party crew to handle the job. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office told the station that deputies were called to the Peculiar home on June 26, 2025, and that Martinez was taken into custody at the scene.
The complaint further alleges that Martinez was using someone else’s Social Security number and was not lawfully authorized to work in the United States, and it identifies Pedro Tapia of Tapia Flooring as the subcontractor overseeing the installation.
Conviction and sentence
Court records show that Martinez pleaded guilty on January 6, 2026, to two counts of statutory sodomy and was later sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to the Kansas City Star. The lawsuit says the grandparents bought the carpet in June 2025 and that the purchase agreement specifically stated removal and installation would be performed by Nebraska Furniture Mart’s own service team, not by a subcontractor.
Company response
Nebraska Furniture Mart Kansas City store director Nastasia Williams issued a statement expressing sympathy for the family and saying the company’s “processes related to background checks, safety measures, and accountability exceed industry standards,” as reported by The Independent. According to KCTV, the suit also claims that after the family reported the allegations, Nebraska Furniture Mart refused to complete the carpet installation and told the plaintiffs they were no longer welcome at the store.
Legal implications
Attorneys say cases like this often hinge on negligent hiring or negligent supervision theories, and on whether a retailer can be held responsible for the conduct of a subcontractor who enters a customer’s home. As FindLaw explains, plaintiffs frequently argue that a business failed to use reasonable care when vetting or overseeing workers it sends into private residences.
A key fight in this lawsuit will likely center on whether Nebraska Furniture Mart is treated as the installers’ principal for legal purposes, which could open the door to liability under the doctrine of respondeat superior as the case moves ahead.
What’s next
The family is asking for damages and a jury trial, and plaintiffs’ attorneys say they intend to dig into Nebraska Furniture Mart’s subcontracting and vetting practices during discovery, the Kansas City Star reports. The suit remains pending in Cass County Circuit Court and could help define how far retailers’ responsibilities extend when third-party installers walk through customers’ front doors.
