Store Chain to Pay $16 Million to Settle Waste Disposal Lawsuit

RIVERSIDE - Walgreens will pay more than $16 million to Riverside County and 41 other California counties to settle a civil action alleging hazardous waste disposal violations and instances in which customers' medical information was not properly protected.

After a three-year investigation, Walgreens Co. was sued in June for allegedly mishandling and improperly discarding hazardous wastes over a 6.5- year span, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, alleged that the chain dumped pesticides, bleach, paint, automotive produ...