San Joaquin County could be seeing a little bit of money from a civil settlement that was reached with Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. over the sale of expired medication in the company’s stores within the county.

According to statement from San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas – who was signed on to the settlement along with San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson and Yolo County District Attorney – Jeff Reisig – the nearly $2.9 million settlement will cover restitution, civil penalties, and investigation costs.

As part of the settlement, Dollar Tree Inc. – which operates along with Dollar Tree Distribution Inc. and Family Dollar Inc. – did not admit or deny liability in the case. 

“Thank you to Deputy District Attorney Celeste Kaisch and the Consumer Protection Unit for holding corporations accountable,” Freitas said in a statement announcing the settlement. “It is imperative consumers are able to trust and purchase goods from stores that are within their use-by dates.”

According to the statement, the civil complaint was filed in San Joaquin County and alleged that the companies and its affiliated subsidiaries not only made expired over-the-counter medication available for purchase, but also sold it to customers.

The company agreed to be bound by an injunction that prohibits violations of California’s unlawful business practice laws and Health and Safety Code prohibitions on the sale of expired over-the-counter drugs. As part of its normal business practices moving forward, Dollar Tree will reportedly spend a set number of hours each month verifying that the products on store shelves are within the manufacturer’s expiration window.

The statement specified that the company fully participated in the investigation and noted that there is no evidence that consumers were harmed as a result of taking the expired medications.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.