Walmart To Pay Millions For Overcharging CA Customers

A court ordered Walmart to pay $5.6 million in penalties to settle a civil lawsuit filed by California prosecutors against the retail giant, claiming the company violated state laws by overcharging customers.

The lawsuit filed by several California district attorneys alleged that Walmart unlawfully charged customers prices higher than the lowest advertised or posted price. The lawsuit claimed the company also sold products, such as produce, baked goods, and other prepared items, that weighed less than what was shown on the label.

Doing so violated California’s False Advertising and Unfair Competition Laws, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Walmart settled with the Santa Clara County, San Diego County, San Bernardino County and Sonoma County district attorney’s offices.

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"When someone brings an item to the register to be scanned, the price must be right,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. "They expect it. California expects it. My Office expects it – and we will apply the law to make sure of it."

Walmart operates 280 stores in California, including 10 in Santa Clara County.

This is not the first time Walmart has been in trouble for similar issues. In 2012, the company paid $2.1 million for overcharging consumers in violation of a 2008 judgment against the retail chain.

In this latest case, the court ordered Walmart to pay $5.5 million in civil penalties and to maintain employees who will be responsible for price and weight accuracy in California stores.

Walmart will also pay $139,908.92 to cover the costs of the investigations conducted by the state.

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The investigation into Walmart’s pricing and weight accuracy violations was assisted by inspectors from the Santa Clara County Weights and Measures Division, the Division of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Health.

To report pricing and purchase weight issues at any store in Santa Clara County, consumers may contact the Weights and Measures Division by submitting an online complaint form, by emailing scc.wts-measures@cep.sccgov.org, or by calling 866-SCANNER or 408-918-4601.