(The Center Square) – Family Dollar will pay Tennessee $1.125 million as part of a settlement over a rodent-infested warehouse in West Memphis, Ark.
The funds are part of a $41.7 million announced by the Department of Justice in February 2024.
The company, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree, Inc., agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of causing FDA-regulated products to become adulterated while being held under insanitary conditions, according to previous reports.
The state sued the company for violations of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.
“When a mom or dad buys groceries for their kids, they should never have to wonder whether some nasty critter got the first bite,” said Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. “No matter the family budget, whether at a discount shop or not, every Tennessean deserves confidence in the food they buy.”
The investigation began with a 2022 complaint of rodents in the facilities. The company continued to ship products from the warehouse until January 2022 after an investigation from the Food and Drug Administration showed evidence of “live rodents, dead and decaying rodents, rodent feces, urine, and odors, and evidence of gnawing and nesting throughout the facility,” according to a Justice Department news release. The warehouse served 404 stores in Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee.
“When I joined Dollar Tree’s Board of Directors in March 2022, I was very disappointed to learn about these unacceptable issues at one of Family Dollar’s facilities,” said Dollar Tree Chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling when the settlement was announced. “Since that time and even more directly when I assumed the role of CEO, we have worked diligently to help Family Dollar resolve this historical matter and significantly enhance our policies, procedures, and physical facilities to ensure it is not repeated.”
Dreiling left the company in November 2024 for personal reasons.
