ST. PAUL — A Minnesota man who filed a lawsuit claiming he was confronted and beaten outside a grocery store for taking too many free food samples has dropped his legal challenge.

Sixty-nine-year-old Erwin Lingitz sought at least $375,000 in damages for the 2010 incident at the grocery store in White Bear Lake.

Lingitz’s lawsuit reportedly said he left his wife in the car while he went inside the store to pick up her prescription. He said he was offered free food samples along with additional samples for his wife.

A security guard confronted Lingitz outside the store and a struggle ensued. An off-duty sheriff’s deputy joined in the struggle and tried to handcuff Lingitz. The store denied Lingitz’s claim that he was kicked or slammed to the ground.