COVID-19 Testing Company Lied About Results: MN Attorney General

HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Wednesday filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County against the Center for COVID Control, LLC and its associated lab, Doctors Clinical Laboratory, Inc.

The two Illinois-based companies failed to deliver COVID-19 test results or gave test results that were falsified or inaccurate, according to Ellison's office.

The lawsuit charges the companies with false advertising, deceptive trading practices, and violation of the state consumer fraud active.

"My job is to fight for Minnesotans’ security and help them live with dignity, safety, and respect. Making sure that Minnesotans have accurate tools to them safe from the COVID-19 pandemic is a key part of that job," Ellison said in a news release.

"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. 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. I want every Minnesotan to know that I will use every tool at my disposal to keep them safe and hold accountable companies that undermine their safety."

Former employees of the Center for Covid Control reported that their processing center failed to expand as the company opened up testing sites around the country, including in Minnesota, investigators said.

Chaos ensued, with samples being stuffed into trash bags strewn across the office floor, according to authorities.

Former employees said they found samples in bags that were well over 48 hours old, Ellison's office said. According to investigators, management told employees to lie and tell customers that their tests were inconclusive or negative when, in fact, samples were not even tested in the first place.