A Fountain Hills doctor, Dr. Nicole Sundene, has played a prominent role in a Securities and Exchange Commission fraud and criminal trial involving a former blood-testing company.

Former Theranos Inc. President Ramesh (Sunny) Balwani was blocked by a federal judge at an April 24 court hearing in San Jose, Calif., from collecting information from Fountain Hills Women’s Health Clinic.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins rejected Balwani’s request, saying it imposes both a financial cost and a privacy cost to patients.

Clinic operator Sundene accused Balwani of harassing her. The clinic called Balwani a “morally, bankrupt sociopathic liar” and said he physically and legally threated her. Balwani denied any harassing behavior.

Theranos, the now-defunct blood-testing firm, is charged with fraud to dupe investors, doctors and patients.

According to published reports, the local clinic compared Theranos’ blood test results against those of another provider.

Sundene, testifying by telephone, said the information including laboratory results and records that Balwani sought are private patient data. The clinic refused to release the information in either the SEC or criminal case.

Balwani’s attorney said the information that his client wants from the clinic is essential to attack the SEC’s claims that Balwani misrepresented to investors the reliability and accuracy of Theranos test results.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins rejected Balwani’s request, saying it imposes both a financial cost and a privacy cost to patients.

Sundene did not return repeated telephone calls for comment.