Calif. prosecutors reach $2.7 million settlement with owner of Marshalls, T.J. Maxx stores
A contingent of district attorneys in California, including Monterey County DA Dean Flippo, have reached a $2.7 million settlement with the parent company of Marshalls and T.J. Maxx.
TJX Companies, Inc., headquartered in Massachusetts, operates 286 retail stores throughout the State of California under the brand names Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, and HomeGoods.
The retailer was sued by 34 counties in a civil complaint filed in Monterey County Superior Court over violations of hazardous waste laws. The company operates two Marshall’s stores in Monterey County.
The Monterey County Environmental Health Bureau began investigating TJX in 2011 after being notified by the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority’s Sun Street Transfer Station that a 40-yard drop box from the Salinas Marshalls facility contained 48 broken and smashed mercury fluorescent tube lamps and an additional 116 intact mercury lamps.
When mercury lamps are broken, toxic elemental mercury is released and can be absorbed through the lungs as the mercury vaporizes and is inhaled. The Sun Street Transfer Station recovered the remaining mercury from the load and disposed of it properly as hazardous waste.
Further investigation by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, along with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, revealed violations of the law at TJX stores throughout California.
Under the terms of the settlement, the company must properly handle, store, transport and dispose of all regulated wastes generated by their California stores. TJX will also have to keep appropriate records documenting compliance.
