BOSTON — Attorney General Maura Healey has sued an Illinois-based company for falsely marketing and selling a fake hand sanitizer product to school districts across the state, claiming it could kill the COVID-19 virus and provide a multi-hour barrier against the virus without the need for reapplication.
The AG’s complaint, filed Monday in Suffolk Superior Court, alleges that School Health Corporation (School Health) violated the Massachusetts False Claims Act when it misled school districts in Framingham, Winchester, Nahant, Swampscott and New Bedford, the Bridgewater-Raynham and Wachusett Regional School Districts and the City of Malden, into purchasing more than $100,000 worth of “Theraworx Protect” at the beginning of the pandemic between March 2020 and July 2020. School Health claimed that the product was an effective alternative to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when, in fact, it did not contain any of the key ingredients in hand sanitizer.
“This company exploited fears around a growing public health crisis in order to profit by selling a bogus hand sanitizer to schools looking to stop the spread,” said AG Healey. “We are suing to hold this company accountable for these illegal actions that put the health of our children, teachers, and staff at risk.”
According to documents and emails obtained during the AG’s investigation, both customers and employees of School Health questioned the company’s statements about Theraworx Protect’s performance and ingredients. The...
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