In a recent development in the consumer protection arena, the Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has successfully resisted an attempt by cord blood bank CBR Systems, Inc. (CBR) to shirk a lawsuit alleging its deceitful conduct. According to a press release from the AG’s office, the Maricopa County Judge has denied CBR's motion to dismiss the charges brought against them.
Mayes commented on the ruling, "We know Arizona parents and families fell victim to the scam of CBR's cord blood pitch," signaling the AG's resolve to hold the company accountable. The case focuses on how CBR allegedly bamboozled customers with overinflated claims regarding the use of stored cord blood, potentially involving a mere 1:400 to 1:200,000 chance of need over a child's lifetime.
The charges go deeper, accusing the company of misleading consumers about the safety and security of transporting cord blood samples to its Tucson facility. The claim asserts that the samples were shipped haphazardly without robust temperature controls in place, an oversight that would render the precious cells useless. Additionally, CBR allegedly lured physicians into its scheme, providing them financial incentives to promote CBR services—acts that weaponized the trust placed in healthcare professionals by unsuspecting expectant parents.
Furiously against the essence of public cord blood banking, CBR painted these publicly-funded alternatives in a negative light to drive customers toward their more expensive services, the complaint details. This tactic was seen as a maneuver to diminish the worth of public cord blood banking, coercing parents to opt for private banking, often at a much higher cost.
If you suspect that you've been taken advantage of by CBR or any other entity in a similar fashion, the Attorney General’s Office encourages filing complaints via their website or by reaching out to their offices directly. The battle against CBR continues as the state pursues justice for its citizens and beyond.
