“This lawsuit is only one of the many legal tools 3M is using to protect the public,” said Rutherford. “3M is also making referrals to law enforcement authorities, taking down websites with fraudulent or counterfeit product offerings, removing false or deceptive social media pages, and sending cease and desist letters as a first step prior to taking further legal action.”

Price gouging has become a growing issue throughout the pandemic, as high demand for respirators and other supplies have pitted U.S. states (and other countries) against one another in bidding wars. Two brothers in Tennessee for instance were recently suspended from Amazon and Ebay after buying thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer, respiratory masks and antibacterial wipes on a 1,300 mile road trip and selling them online at a premium, with masks priced between $40 and $50 each, according to the New York Times.

Performance Supply has not yet commented on the litigation, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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