Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has filed a lawsuit against a Pulaski County businessman he accuses of coercing accident victims into visiting certain chiropractors.
McDaniel announced at a news conference Monday the lawsuit against Roger Pleasant of Maumelle as well as three of his employees and several of his businesses.
The attorney general said the group lied to accident victims to push them to go to a certain chiropractor to get a "kickback" for bringing in the customer.
The suit alleges the group violated Arkansas' Deceptive Trade Practices Act on multiple occasions with tactics including telling accident victims they wouldn't get their insurance money unless they visited a certain chiropractor; saying the victims didn't need to go to a medical doctor; implying the chiropractor visit wouldn't cost anything; and offering injury and property damage assessments.
McDaniel described Pleasant and his employees as chiropractic "runners" whose activities made it "one of the most egregious actors in the field."
"We all know the rules don't allow for dishonest and illegal marketing practices, which is exactly what we have seen from these runners," McDaniel said.
He added that Pleasant has "made it his business to deceive and harass Arkansas consumers."
McDaniel said the state may take action against more people tied to the scheme or similar ones, including chiropractors, as more "evidence is developed." Officials at the news conference said about five chiropractors were using Pleasant's firms.
The suit seeks an injunction to stop Pleasant's businesses from using the "deceptive tactics" as well as civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, McDaniel said.
In addition to Pleasant, the suit also names three employees: his son, Rogerick Pleasant, and James "Jimmy" Hinton and Brian Hinton, who are brothers.