District attorneys in Orange County and nine other California counties Friday announced a pending settlement with Sears regarding the sales of banned and “dangerous” products from third-party vendors on the retailer’s websites.
Settlement of the consumer protection lawsuit, which was filed Thursday, is awaiting final approval by an Orange County Superior Court judge.
At issue were the sales of nutritional supplement products prohibited by the federal government, including stimulants, sibutramine and Sildenafil, which is an ingredient used in erectile dysfunction drugs, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office reported. Also, the company’s website also had banned diet products for sale, prosecutors said.
Sears, which has not admitted to any wrongdoing, has agreed to pay $235,000 in civil penalties and costs.
“Sears is pleased that it was able to amicably resolve this matter in the State of California regarding primarily third-party marketplace sellers so that it could focus its efforts and resources on serving its members rather than engaging in protracted litigation,” said Sears spokesman Chris Braithwaite. “Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Sears admitted no wrongdoing and fully cooperated with the district attorneys’ offices in ending this dispute.”
District Attorneys in Santa Clara, Alameda, Sonoma, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Santa Cruz, Shasta and Solano counties joined the lawsuit.
—City News Service