Leda Health Settles False Claims Lawsuit Over At-Home Rape Kits

Pennsylvania-based Leda Health, a company that sells at-home rape kits, has reached a settlement with the state Attorney General’s Office following allegations of deceptive marketing practices, officials announced Thursday.

Under the settlement terms, Leda Health must now provide explicit written warnings that its products do not meet the same standards as hospital-based evidence collection services. The company must also implement a comprehensive data security program to protect sensitive information collected from sexual assault survivors and clearly disclose how this data is shared.

The legal dispute began in June 2024 when Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office filed a lawsuit against the company in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. The suit alleged that Leda Health and its CEO, Bridgeville native Madison Campbell, violated the state’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law by misleadingly marketing their “Early Evidence Kit” as a viable substitute for professional medical care and evidence collection.

“We must strongly support and advocate for sexual abuse survivors, and part of that support involves providing them with accurate information as they navigate the difficult road following a traumatic incident,” Sunday said in a statement. “As a career prosecutor, I am keenly aware of the sensitive time period following an assault, and maintain that the best options for a survivor is to seek treatment and help at a hospital or rape crisis center.”

The settlement comes after a complex legal battle that included Leda Health filing its own federal lawsuit against the attorney general’s office just one day before the state’s action. In that countersuit, the company claimed coercion and retaliation, arguing that the attorney general interfered with its constitutional right to aid sexual assault survivors.

The federal case was dismissed in January by U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon, and the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied Leda’s subsequent appeal on Wednesday. Court documents reveal that in February, Leda disclosed it was facing severe financial difficulties, claiming it might be forced to dissolve due to the burden of legal costs.

“Leda Health is a small company that will be forced to dissolve by the burdens and cost of defending against defendant Sunday’s unconstitutional state action. Ms. Campbell is a young, private citizen who will face correspondingly high legal fees, which will either force her into bankruptcy or deplete her young life savings,” the company’s attorneys wrote in a court filing.

Leda’s legal team alleged that the attorney general “filed their state lawsuit not to protect consumers, but to make this federal case go away,” adding, “They succeeded.”

While denying all allegations of wrongdoing in the settlement, Leda Health agreed to pay the commonwealth’s litigation costs, totaling $4,800.83, within seven days.

The company, which originally formed in New York under the name “Me Too Kits,” relocated to Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood in 2023. It marketed its products to sexual assault survivors as a means of collecting and preserving evidence themselves when unable to obtain a traditional forensic examination.

The case highlights the growing tension between innovative health tech companies and regulatory agencies concerned with consumer protection, particularly in sensitive areas like sexual assault response. While companies like Leda argue they’re filling a gap in care for survivors who cannot or choose not to seek immediate medical attention, authorities maintain that such alternatives could potentially mislead survivors about their options during a critical time.

Leda Health representatives did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday, and an attorney for the company declined to comment on the settlement.