Dollar Tree settles California lawsuit alleging sale of expired drugs. Here’s how much it owes

Dollar Tree will pay $2.9 million to settle a California lawsuit that alleged the discount chain sold expired over-the-counter drug products.

The Yolo County District Attorney’s Consumer Fraud and Environmental Protection Division filed the civil complaint in San Joaquin Superior Court. The suit was settled Friday in conjunction with the San Joaquin County and San Bernardino County district attorneys’ offices.

The settlement payout would go to civil penalties, restitution and investigation costs, according to a Tuesday news release.

The retailer cooperated with the investigation, re-trained store personnel and verified over-the-counter medication.

There was no evidence the expired drugs resulted in consumer harm to consumers, the news release stated. Dollar Tree did not admit or deny liability.

“Consumers should be able to trust what they are buying is not expired before they bring it home,” said District Attorney Jeff Reisig in the Tuesday news release.

Dollar Tree has more than 750 store locations in California, and six operate in Yolo County.

This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 10:51 AM.