RivCo DA Sues Manufacturers for Allegedly Selling Undersized Products

By City News Service:

RIVERSIDE, CA - A Corona-based manufacturing firm and its sister company are being sued by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office and other agencies for allegedly selling plastic products in quantities less than advertised -- violations that the defendants have committed before, it was announced Friday.

TRM Manufacturing Inc. and La Mirada-based United Polymers Inc., each operated by Ted R. Moore and his son, Ted Moore II, are accused of engaging in false advertising and unfair business practices, as well as violating prior civil injunctions, according to the D.A.'s office.

Ventura County and Riverside County prosecutors jointly filed the complaint in Ventura County Superior Court. As of Monday, district attorney's offices in Los Angeles, Fresno and Santa Cruz counties had signed on as plaintiffs in the civil action, seeking fines and other legal remedies against the defendants, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

TRM and United Polymers make plastic sheeting, shrink films, bags, mulch films and other plastic derivatives, which are sold to retail outlets, agricultural operations and other parties, according to the companies.

Inspections conducted by state and county weights and measures officials uncovered evidence that packages distributed by the defendants allegedly contained a lower number of sheets, bags and other products than listed on the packaging materials, prosecutors said.

Skimming on quantities is a violation of the California Fair Packaging & Labeling Act, according to the D.A.'s office.

"Officials removed thousands of packages from sale due to these violations," according to an agency statement.

Authorities said TRM and United Polymers' products were taken out of circulation in Home Depot outlets throughout the state.

The companies have been targeted in civil actions on four previous occasions -- 1988, 1989, 1996 and 2013. Riverside County handled the latter case, while the other three occurred in other counties, the D.A.'s office said.

The enforcement actions led to court-ordered injunctions prohibiting the defendants from engaging in the same pattern of behavior.

"Despite these four prior law enforcement actions, it is alleged in the current complaint that the defendants have continued to make misrepresentations in connection with the sale of their products," the D.A.'s office said.