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Can Doughnut Shop Owner Press Charges Against Ariana Grande?

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on July 16, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

News sources are reporting that Ariana Grande won't face any criminal charges for her doughnut-licking indiscretion. She's off the hook! Or, is she?

Reports claim that Joe Marin, the owner of Wolfee Donuts where Grande licked the doughnuts, declined to press charges against Grande. Apparently, this was news to him. He claims he definitely pressed charges.

So, will Ariana Grande face charges or not?

I Want to Press Charges!

In an interview with the Roz & Mocha show, Marin said he was flabbergasted to read that Grande would not be facing any criminal charges. Marin claims that he filed charges on July 6th.

If that's true, then why the confusion?

The Truth About Pressing Charges

Pressing charges is a misleading terms. On television, we see angry victims loudly demanding that they want to press charges against a suspect.

However, in reality, only the prosecutor can decide whether or not to charge a suspect with a crime. What Marin may have thought of as pressing charges, was probably just the process of filing a police report. The police report summarizes the facts of an alleged crime. The prosecutor will then use the police report along with other facts gained in an investigation to decide whether to press charges.

If the prosecutor decides that there isn't enough evidence or that no crime occurred, the prosecutor will not charge the suspect.

Marin may have filed a complaint, but the prosecutor has the power to not charge Grande. Alternatively, even if Marin didn't "press charges," the prosecutor could decide to go ahead with charges.

Bring a Lawsuit Instead?

Poor Marin. Because of Grande's indiscretion, he is out four doughnuts and his health department rating was downgraded from an A to a B. Now, she gets to walk away scot-free.

If he really wants Grande to pay, Marin may be able to turn to civil courts instead. He could try to sue her for conversion of his doughnuts. She did lick two and spit on two others. Marin couldn't sell the doughnuts after that.

He'll probably only get a few dollars for the value of the doughnuts if he wins, but it's the principle that counts. Right?

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