State Attorney General Tom Corbett has asked Commonwealth Court to freeze the assets of Pure Weight Loss Centers after filing a consumer protection lawsuit against the chain and its owner, Vahan Karian, last week.

The weight loss chain, formerly known as LA Weight Loss, had a location at 324 Mall Blvd. in Monroeville. The company's 400 national stores closed on Jan. 4.

A hearing on the request will be scheduled before Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg. The freeze would preserve funds that could be used to provide consumer refunds for pre-paid products and services they never received, according to a press release issued by Corbett's office.

Corbett's request follows the lawsuit, which accuses the company and Karian of unfair trade practices and deceptive acts in the marketing and sale of pre-paid contracts for weight loss products and services.

In the suit, Corbett accuses Karian of misappropriating consumer funds from Pure Weight Loss for his own benefit, diverting funds to other business entities and continuing to sell contracts after announcing plans to close the stores.

Corbett encourages consumers who pre-paid for products or services they did not receive to call the attorney general's Health Care Section hotline at 1-877-888-4877 or file an online complaint at www.attorneygeneral.gov.

The company's Web site, www.pureweightloss.com, provides a refund application and list of other weight loss programs offering special pricing accommodations to those affected by Pure's closing.