Dollar Tree, Inc.
DLTR
Consumer Staples
5
exclusion reasons
3 themes
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
Dollar Tree has accumulated $21.3 million in employment-related penalties across 24 enforcement actions, primarily for systematic wage theft. Major actions include a $7.6 million private wage and hour lawsuit (2006), $4.4 million Massachusetts AG wage theft action (2023), $2.7 million California hazardous waste violation (2015), and $2.5 million federal wage and hour settlement (2020). The Massachusetts AG alone has brought three separate wage theft actions totaling $8.2 million.
Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have accumulated $20.8 million in safety-related penalties across 313 OSHA enforcement actions. Inspectors have repeatedly found merchandise blocking exits and walkways, boxes stacked dangerously high, and storerooms in hazardous condition. OSHA identified over 300 violations across more than 500 inspections by 2017, and the pattern has continued with a $1.35 million fine in 2023 alone. The volume and recurrence of identical violations across hundreds of locations indicates systemic disregard for worker safety.
$50M wrongful death lawsuit filed January 2026 after customer died from environmental hypothermia found in Dollar Tree freezer.
Family Dollar subsidiary pleaded guilty and paid $41.475M forfeiture for FDA-regulated products stored in unsanitary conditions.
NLRB case (01-CA-351572, filed 09/27/2024) alleging unlawful discharge and interference with concerted activities.
Research Sources
2 organizations
Related Exclusions
Wondering what we do invest in?
The Naughty List
A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
This information is provided for educational and transparency purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Data is drawn from independent watchdogs, NGOs, government registries, and Ethical Capital's ongoing research — see Research Sources for the full list.
Ethical Capital LLC is a state-registered investment adviser in Utah (CRD #316032). Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.