An Extension School student has filed suit against the Coop, alleging that he was detained by employees of the store and physically harmed while he was there as a customer.

The student, Joseph Boateng, is from Ghana, and the suit alleges that he was mistreated because of his race.

According to Boateng's attorney, W. Thomas Smith, Boateng was mistaken for another Coop member with a similar name who had a considerable debt on his account.

Coop attorney Robert M. Shea agrees that employees mistook the identity of Boateng, but says that it was an "innocent mistake."

He said the person for whom Bosteng was mistaken has the same first name and middle initial and a similar last name, but that the matter was resolved within ten minutes.

Shea said Coop employees were surprised to hear of the lawsuit, because Boateng had simply met with the credit manager and cleared up the matter.

Boateng's attorney, however, contends that the case involves more than a simple mistaken identity that was immediately cleared up.

Smith said his client was detained and then pushed, injuring his back and forcing him to miss work for a time.

Even if Boateng had in fact been the debtor, Smith said, the Coop employees "were not within the purview of appropriate credit collection policy to injure students."

Smith says Coop employees told Boateng that they had been having problems with African students.

The two sides appear very far apart, and Shea said that initial efforts to settle the matter have failed. He said the parties will continue to try to reach a settlement.