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Arizona AG: Theranos To Refund Anyone Who Purchased A Blood Test

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said refund checks will be mailed to every Arizonan who purchased a Theranos blood test on Friday. The average refund is about $61.

The refund is part of a $4.6 million settlement as part of a consent judgment with the company.

Brnovich calls it a victory.

"When this came up I wanted to make sure every single person got a refund," Brnovich said. "I know the company had said only about 10 percent of the results are inaccurate. And our position was 'I don’t care.'"

Brnovich said he didn’t want to rely on Theronos to determine which tests were accurate, and that’s why his office insisted on refunds for everyone, including one customer who paid more than $3,400 for testing.

The AG’s office alleged that Theranos misrepresented its methods and accuracy of its blood testing. But Brnovich said this case is not just about the money.

"We want to send a strong message that if you engage in business practices that harm consumers or deceive consumers, the Arizona Attorney General is going to come after you," he said.

Between 2013 and 2016, Theranos sold thousands of blood tests in Arizona.

As part of the judgement, Theranos cannot own, operate or direct any laboratory in the state for up to two years.

KJZZ senior field correspondent Kathy Ritchie has 20 years of experience reporting and writing stories for national and local media outlets — nearly a decade of it has been spent in public media.