Zeruah Melecio has filed a lawsuit against ACCU Reference Medical Laboratory, LLC, alleging serious violations of civil rights and healthcare laws. The complaint was submitted on February 5, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Melecio accuses the New Jersey-based medical laboratory of racial discrimination, negligent blood test readings, and breach of contract.
According to the lawsuit, Zeruah Melecio, a Federal Emergency Response Official from St. Charles, Louisiana, visited ACCU Medical Lab in Metairie for routine bloodwork required for elective surgery on February 2, 2023. Among the tests ordered was an HIV screening. On February 8, her primary care physician informed her that ACCU had reported a reactive HIV test result. This unexpected news caused significant emotional distress as Melecio had no known risk factors for HIV and had recently tested negative during a life insurance application process.
Melecio claims that ACCU staff discriminated against her based on race and sex by interfering with the processing of her bloodwork. She alleges that this misconduct is part of a broader pattern at ACCU Medical Lab involving fraudulent billing practices and exploitation of patients through false diagnoses to defraud insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program Health Insurance (BCBS FEP). She recounts offensive remarks made by lab technicians that perpetuated harmful stereotypes about Black women and HIV.
In response to these allegations, Melecio seeks compensatory and punitive damages exceeding $300,000 for negligence and gross negligence by ACCU Medical Lab. Her legal action also calls for statutory damages under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act due to discriminatory practices in healthcare services provided by entities receiving federal financial assistance.
The complaint highlights previous settlements involving ACCU Reference Medical Lab related to Medicare fraud allegations. These include a $598,115 settlement with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) over non-covered service claims submitted to Medicare and another settlement with New Jersey's Medicaid Fraud Division concerning overpayments received from Medicaid.
Representing herself pro se in this case, Zeruah Melecio emphasizes her commitment to safeguarding civil rights and ending discriminatory practices at ACCU Medical Lab. The case is filed under Case ID: 2:25-cv-00270-WBV-JVM with Judge James K. Bredar presiding.