California woman sues Target over coupon glitch

Target Corp. has been sued in Los Angeles County Superior Court for fraud, false advertising and a number of other charges by a consumer who claims she was shortchanged on coupons.

The lawyer representing Karina Olivarria, a resident of Los Angeles County, seeks class-action status to include consumers in California and the nation.

Target said Tuesday that it had fixed a glitch it had known about for months that was causing certain manufacturer's coupons to ring up inaccurately.

Spokeswoman Amy Reilly said Thursday that the company couldn't discuss pending litigation.

In the complaint Olivarria said she ran into problems when she visited a Target in Gardena, Calif., on Oct. 14. She bought approximately $36 worth of Huggies baby products, and presented three coupons totaling $9. Olivarria received a discount of $7.48, $1.52 short of the coupons' amount, according to court documents.

"It's a serious problem, especially in these difficult economic times where people are relying on coupons to make ends meet," said Olivarria's attorney, Paul Alvarez.

The suit also charges the Minneapolis-based retailer with negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, breach of "good faith and fair dealing" and unfair competition.