Rite Aid controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2023
Opioid-dispensing litigation and bankruptcy
Rite Aid faced thousands of lawsuits and government claims alleging that its pharmacies contributed to the prescription-opioid crisis through inadequate controls or problematic dispensing practices. The litigation was a major factor in the company’s financial distress and its 2023 Chapter 11 filing.
2020
West Virginia sues Rite Aid and Walgreens over opioid distribution
Lawsuit filed
West Virginia filed a lawsuit alleging that Rite-Aid and Walgreens failed to monitor and report suspicious prescription painkiller orders and contributed to a public nuisance. The allegations are not stated as court findings.
Company response
Denial — Walgreens
Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso said in an email that Walgreens “never manufactured or marketed opioids, and never sold opioids to the pain clinics, internet pharmacies and ‘pill mills’ that fueled the opioid crisis.”
Source excerpt
The lawsuit filed by Attorney General Patrick Morrisey alleges violations of the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act and conduct that caused a public nuisance.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Putnam County Circuit Court.
1999
Accounting and financial-control crisis
Rite Aid experienced severe financial and management problems in the late 1990s, including accounting concerns, debt pressure, declining investor confidence, and the resignation of senior executives. The company undertook leadership changes, store closures, refinancing, and audit-firm changes to stabilize the business.