LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued a statement following a Pulaski County Circuit judge's decision to deny a motion to dismiss Griffin’s lawsuit against Family Dollar for violating the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (ADTPA).
“I applaud the court’s decision to permit this case to proceed. Family Dollar knew about the prevalent rodent infestation in its West Memphis distribution center and failed to warn Arkansas consumers that the goods they were purchasing had been exposed to thousands of rodents. I will continue to vigorously pursue this matter to hold Family Dollar accountable for these unconscionable acts,” Griffin stated.
Between 2020 and 2022, Family Dollar’s West Memphis distribution center experienced significant rodent issues. From March 2021 to January 2022, 3,400 rodents were removed after state and federal inspectors intervened. The Office of the Attorney General has sued Family Dollar for multiple violations of the ADTPA as well as negligence, strict liability, and unjust enrichment.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas accepted a guilty plea from Family Dollar in a federal criminal case related to rat infestation. As part of the plea agreement, Family Dollar agreed to pay a fine and forfeiture exceeding $41 million.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District. He has also held various roles including officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, among others.
Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, Tulane Law School in New Orleans and attended graduate school at Oxford University. He resides in Little Rock with his wife Elizabeth and their three children.
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