A nationwide COVID-19 testing company that is currently under federal investigation has now been slapped with a state enforcement action accusing it of providing consumers with inaccurate test results or no results at all.
The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office filed the consumer protection suit Wednesday against the Center for Covid Control, a nationwide chain of testing sites based in Illinois, over accusations of “deceptive and fraudulent practices,” according to USA Today. The complaint also names Doctors Clinical Laboratory Inc., another Illinois-based company, as a defendant.
“When Minnesotans and people from around the country tested with these companies to keep themselves and their families safe, they trusted they would get correct results on time,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. “I’m holding these companies accountable that sent back false or inaccurate results, when they sent them back at all, for deceiving Minnesotans and undermining the public’s trust in testing.”
The testing company is also under investigation by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and the Oregon Department of Justice for alleged unfair practices and consumer complaints.
On Jan. 14, the company’s founder and CEO, Aleya Siyaj, announced a weeklong pause in operations, citing increased patient demand and strained staffing.
“Center for Covid Control is committed to serving our patients in the safest, most accurate and most compliant manner,” Siyaj said in a press release. “Regrettably, due to our rapid growth and the unprecedented recent demand for testing, we haven’t been able to meet all our commitments.”
The company currently has over 300 locations across the U.S. and collects over 80,000 tests per day, according to USA Today.
The Center for Covid Control did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
