Rite Aid Settles California Lawsuit for Nearly $500,000

Rite Aid will pay nearly a half-million dollars to settle California claims that it didn’t follow consumer protection rules.

The settlement, approved in early July in San Diego, also calls for the drugstore chain to comply with state standards.

District attorneys in San Diego, Riverside and Alameda counties sued Rite Aid after an undercover investigation. They alleged that Rite Aid pharmacists didn’t consult with customers who were getting new prescriptions or changing dosages of their existing ones.

The state pharmacy board requires such consultations.

Rite Aid didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing and says it cooperated with the DAs to resolve the matter. The company also says it’s committed to providing “appropriate counseling” by pharmacists.

The CVS pharmacy chain agreed to settle a similar lawsuit last year for about $650,000.