5 TARGET STORES GARNER FINE.Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer A municipal court municipal court n. a lower court which usually tries criminal misdemeanors and civil lawsuits involving lesser amounts of money than superior, district or county courts. The authority, importance and geographical area covered differ from state to state. In California, municipal courts have county-wide jurisdiction, conduct preliminary hearings of felonies, and try cases up to $25,000, while in many states they only handle cases arising out of violations judge Wednesday ordered Target Stores Inc. to pay $10,492 in fines after an attorney for the discounter pleaded no contest to six misdemeanor charges that five San Fernando Valley stores were overcharging for some items. Following routine inspections in February, March and October 1998, county Department of Weights and Measures weights and measures, units and standards for expressing the amount of some quantity, such as length, capacity, or weight; the science of measurement standards and methods is known as metrology. Crude systems of weights and measures probably date from prehistoric times. Early units were commonly based on body measurements and on plant seeds or other objects from agriculture. inspectors found that the stores' electronic scanner systems overcharged by more than $1 the posted price on 21 of 120 items, according to Deputy City Attorney Don Cocek. They also found the prices fell below the posted price on three items. The stores are at 8800 Corbin Ave. and 8999 Balboa Blvd. in Northridge, 20801 Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills, 6635 Fallbrook Ave. in Canoga Park and 17055 San Fernando Mission Blvd. in Granada Hills. Gail Dorn, a spokeswoman for the chain owned by Minneapolis-based Dayton Hudson Corp., said late Wednesday that she did not have details of the case and could not comment on the specific allegations. ``All I can say is we strive tremendously to have accurate pricing, and we would never consciously mislead or overcharge our guests,'' she said. Target was ordered by Van Nuys Municipal Court Judge Karen Nudell to pay $2,220 in fines and penalties and $2,272 in investigative costs to the county Departments of Weights and Measures and to make a $6,000 donation to a program of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that cares for the pets of domestic violence victims. |
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