State of Tennessee to receive $1.1 million from Family Dollar

Legal fallout from 2022 rat infestation at West Memphis warehouse facility continues

By Ralph Hardin

news@theeveningtimes.com

The FDA discovered in February of 2022 that a Family Dollar warehouse in West Memphis was infested with rats and that rodent droppings inside the warehouse were 'too numerous to count'.

The discovery, ultimately leading to the closure of the warehouse, caused more than 400 stores across several states to temporarily shut down.

The latest chapter in the ongoing legal saga stemming from the infestation came earlier this week when news came out that the State of Tennessee will get a piece of the record $41.6 million settlement Family Dollar is paying for for the unsanitary, rat-infested conditions at the distribution center. On Tuesday, Family Dollar Stores, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree, agreed to pay Tennessee $1.125 million, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a news release.

“No matter the family budget, whether at a discount shop or not, every Tennessean deserves confidence in the food they buy,” Skrmetti said.

“This settlement holds Family Dollar accountable and protects Tennessee families from being sold harmful or mislabeled food.”

Last February, the company agreed to enter a plea of guilty to a one-count misdemeanor violation relating to the adulteration of FDA-regulated products.

The Justice Department said reports of rodent issues began reaching the company in late 2020, after deliveries to its stores.

The U.S. Department of Justice said the $41.675 million fine and forfeiture amount is the largest-ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case.

Last year, anyone who could prove they shopped at a Family Dollar in Tennessee,

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Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri or Louisiana between January 1, 2020 and February 18, 2022 was eligible for a $25 gift card as part of a settlement surrounding the rat-infestation.