Lowes Settles Consumer Protection Case for Scanner Price Overcharges and False Advertising

9/5/25 Final Judgement (PDF, 3 MB)

Sonoma County District Attorney, Carla Rodriguez, along with the District Attorneys of San Diego, Alameda, Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties, announced today the settlement of a consumer protection lawsuit against Lowes. The defendant will pay $1,089,999.90 to settle a civil law enforcement complaint alleging that Lowes engaged in false advertising and unfair competition in California. Lowe’s operates 110 stores in California.

District Attorney Rodriguez stated, “Our Environmental and Consumer Law Division is working with other District Attorney’s Offices throughout California, to hold companies accountable, ensure that consumers get the benefit of their bargains, and enforce California’s robust consumer protection laws.”

The civil complaint filed in San Diego County alleged that the retailer unlawfully charged customers prices higher than their lowest advertised or posted price. The Judgment includes an injunction prohibiting Lowes from engaging in false or misleading advertising. It requires the retailer to initiate and maintain a new robust price accuracy policy and procedures which include more employees responsible for price accuracy, additional internal audits and an agreement not to raise prices over the weekend. The judgment also requires the home improvement retailer to pay $1,000,000 in civil penalties and just under $90,000 in costs and restitution to cover the counties’ weights and measures investigations and support future enforcement of consumer protection laws.

The Sonoma County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, is the agency that inspected Lowes in Sonoma County and is instrumental in monitoring retailers to make sure that consumers are charged for accurate prices. Consumers may report overcharges to the Sonoma County Department of Weights and Measures by calling (707)-565-2371 or filing an online complaint at https://sonoma.prod.simpligov.com/prod/portal/ShowWorkFlow/AnonymousEmbed/d465d27e-9528-47e2-ba58-c73b4d7d5efe

Deputy District Attorney Caroline Fowler and Deputy District Attorney Jessica Washington were the prosecutors for the Sonoma County District Attorney.

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