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Company sues Florida over claims of millions owed on thousands of COVID-19 test kits

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Alabama company is suing Florida’s Division of Emergency Management over claims that it stiffed the company on contracts to purchase hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 test kits.

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Global Innovative Concepts said the Division of Emergency Management agreed to order some 600,000 test kits in March 2020.

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The company said it delivered and Florida owes it millions of dollars.

The lawsuit claims the FDEM agreed to buy 200,000 COVID-19 viral sample collection kits from Essential Diagnostics on March 22, 2020, for $2.2 million.

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Two days later, the division requested another 400,000 kits for $4.4 million.

The company agreed, as long as half of the invoice was paid immediately.

The lawsuit claims that then-director Jared Moskowitz agreed to the terms and the state sent Essential Diagnostics LLC a check for $2.2 million.

The company claims that Florida did not pay the balance on either order and refused to accept the 400,000 test kits from the second order, which arrived on April 16, 2020.

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The state tried to cancel the order, but they were already on the way and according to the lawsuit, the state refused to accept them.

The company said there was a no return, or refund policy.

Attorney Thomas Cargill, who works for Morgan & Morgan, filed the lawsuit and in a statement said that everyone, including the state, is bound to contracts they sign.

See more in the video above.

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Shannon Butler

Shannon Butler, WFTV.com

Shannon joined the Eyewitness News team in 2013.