Home Depot to pay $2 million settlement for overcharging customers

NEW YORK -- Home Depot volition wage astir $2 cardinal to settee a civilian enforcement assertion from California territory attorneys that the location betterment institution was engaging successful mendacious advertizing and unfair competition.

The ailment filed successful San Diego Superior Court said that erstwhile radical astatine Home Depot brought an point to checkout, they would beryllium charged much wealth than was written connected the support tag oregon connected the point itself. Such violations are called "scanner violations," the Los Angeles County District Attorney's bureau said successful a property merchandise Thursday.

While the institution admitted nary wrongdoing, it indispensable wage $1.7 cardinal successful civilian penalties, arsenic good arsenic $277,251 to screen probe costs arsenic good arsenic to "support aboriginal enforcement of user extortion laws."

The judgement ruled that Home Depot indispensable instrumentality a terms accuracy program.

"False advertizing and unfair contention are superior offenses that undermine user spot and distort the marketplace," Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said successful a statement.

Home Depot has not responded to CNN's petition for comment. The Los Angeles DA's bureau said the institution was cooperative successful the investigation.

The civilian penalties are a driblet successful the bucket for the nation's fifth-largest retailer. In March, Home Depot announced it is buying SRS Distribution - a immense building-projects supplier that counts nonrecreational roofers, landscapers and excavation contractors arsenic its superior customers - for $18.3 billion.

CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn contributed to this report