PROVIDENCE – Two national settlements have returned money to Rhode Island’s coffers this month. A spokesperson for Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin’s office confirmed today that Rhode Island has received an estimated $580,000 combined from two separate national settlements with Target Corp. and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.
The state’s settlement with Target stemmed from a data breach reported in 2013, which violated laws in 48 states, including Rhode Island. Rhode Island is expected to receive about $180,000 of the $18.5 million agreement.
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The settlement agreement included specific safeguards to prevent data breaches in the future such as the creation of an information-security program, the required employment of a security-focused executive or officer, and a security overhaul of how the company keeps and protects consumer data.
The Johnson & Johnson settlement is expected to net the state about $400,000. The resolved complaint was filed over alleged misrepresentation of the quality and federal compliance of over-the-counter drugs distributed by McNeil-PPC Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson.
According to the settlement documents, the Attorneys General involved in the $33 million settlement alleged that McNeil delivered batches of OTC drugs that failed to comply with federal standards and that such alleged quality-control lapses resulted in recalls of drugs manufactured between 2009 and 2011, including Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, St. Joseph Aspirin, Sudafed, Pepcid, Mylanta, Rolaids, Zyrtec, and Zyrtec Eye Drops, several of which are indicated for pediatric use.
The agreement from the settlement dictated regulation of McNeil’s marketing of its drugs, its manufacturing practices and its communication with the Attorneys General involved with the complaint about wholesalers and warehouses in states in which recalled drugs may have been distributed.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
