Ralph’s Grocery Stores Face Judgement In Overcharging Case

A hearing is scheduled today for Ralphs Grocery Co., which pleaded no-contest to overcharging customers for prepackaged and weighed products at stores throughout Los Angeles.

The no-contest plea was entered last week on behalf of the grocery store chain to 62 charges, including 19 counts of mislabeling; 18 counts of selling items that weigh less than they are supposed to; 15 counts of false advertising; and 10 counts of offering items for sale that weight less than they are supposed to, according to Frank Mateljan of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

The plea — which involved both misdemeanor charges and infractions — came shortly before the case was scheduled to go to trial. The company is looking at possible fines of up to $43,000.

In a statement, a Ralphs spokeswoman said company representatives had “spent countless hours working with the City Attorney’s Office to try to reach a settlement agreement that was acceptable to both our customers and their office.”

“Today, we are pleased to announce that all of the unfounded allegations against our parent company, Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co., have been dropped and Ralphs has agreed to plead no contest to 62 infractions and misdemeanors in order to conclude this matter,” said Kendra Doyel, Ralphs’ group vice president of marketing.

Doyel added that the company believes the charges involved “isolated events,” but has “redoubled all of our efforts to ensure accuracy.”