The Los Angeles city attorney's office said it plans to sue four retailers, accusing them of duping shoppers into believing they got bigger discounts than they actually did.
Four separate lawsuits alleging deceptive advertising will be filed Thursday against JC Penney, Sears, Kohl's and Macy's.
City Attorney Mike Feuer contends that the retailers falsely advertised higher regular prices for merchandise so customers believed they were getting bigger bargains.
California law bars retailers from advertising a higher original price unless the product was sold at that price within three months of the ad.
Sears declined to comment on the pending litigation. JC Penney, Kohl's and Macy's did not immediately respond to messages for comment.
The lawsuits seek civil penalties and injunctions to stop so-called false reference pricing.
Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/
