Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel : News Releases

MCDANIEL TOUTS ONLINE PHARMACY DATABASE

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Pseudoephedrine Purchases Now Monitored Real Time Statewide SEARCY- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced today that every pharmacy in Arkansas that sells products containing pseudoephedrine is online and using the electronic logbook, which is monitored by local and state law enforcement. Using this new technology, law enforcement can tell who is buying how much pseudoephedrine and w...

MCDANIEL SETTLES CLAIMS AGAINST EXPRESS SCRIPTS INC.

Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

LITTLE ROCK-Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced today that Arkansas joined 29 states and the District of Columbia in entering into a settlement of consumer protection claims against Express Scripts, Inc., one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefits management (PBM) companies. As part of the settlement, Express Scripts is required to significantly change its business practices. In addi...

MCDANIEL ANNOUNCES MERCK SETTLEMENT RESOLVING A THREE-YEAR INVESTIGATION INTO THE COMPANY'S MARKETING OF VIOXX

Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Arkansas and 29 other states share in $58 million settlement LITTLE ROCK-Attorney General Dustin McDaniel today announced that his office, along with 29 other states, reached a settlement with Merck and Company, Inc. resolving a three-year investigation by 30 states concerning the company's deceptive promotion of the "Cox-2" drug Vioxx. COX-2 drugs like Vioxx are a type of non-steroidal anti...

MCDANIEL TESTIFIES BEFORE U.S. HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON BYRNE GRANTS

Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

LITTLE ROCK- Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel testified before the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, on H.R. 3546, a bill to authorize the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant Program at fiscal year 2006 levels through 2012. Byrne-JAG is currently the only source of funding available to local and state law ...

ATTORNEY GENERALS OF 49 STATES ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT WITH FACEBOOK TO MAKE SITE SAFER FOR UNDERAGE USERS

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

LITTLE ROCK- The attorneys general of 49 states and the District of Columbia today announced that Facebook has agreed to changes to better protect children from predators and inappropriate content and to participate in a task force on implementation of age and identity verification software. Since 2006, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and North Carolina Attorney General Roy...

ATTORNEY GENERAL DUSTIN MCDANIEL UNVEILS "BE STREET SMART"

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

ATTORNEY GENERAL DUSTIN MCDANIEL UNVEILS "BE STREET SMART" Website, PSA's to Help Educate Arkansas' Youth LITTLE ROCK- Today, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced the launch of a new initiative and website called, "Be Street Smart." The hub of this program is the website, www.bestreetsmart.org. This is a centralized informational source for the issues that we deal wit...

McDaniel on Payday Lenders: A Good Start, But a Long Way to Go

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

LITTLE ROCK- Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced a large response to the 156 letters sent March 18th to licensed payday lenders demanding they cease illegal lending practices in Arkansas. As of today, the Attorney General's office has received direct word from fifty-two companies advising that they will comply with the laws of Arkansas, which were outlined in the March 18th letter...

ATTORNEY GENERAL MCDANIEL SUES ABBOTT AND FOURNIER FOR ILLEGIALLY BLOCKING GENERIC COMPETITION TO TRICOR

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

LITTLE ROCK- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced today that the State of Arkansas has joined 18 other states and the District of Columbia in filing a lawsuit charging Abbott Laboratories and French drug company Fournier with violating antitrust and consumer protection laws. The lawsuit alleges that Abbott Laboratories and Fournier took several actions that delayed the availability of a ch...

McDaniel Demands Termination of Payday Lending in Arkansas

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

LITTLE ROCK- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced today that he is sending letters to "payday lending" businesses operating under a license in Arkansas, asking them to stop the practice immediately. McDaniel defines "payday" lending as short term loans that charge interest in amounts that vastly exceed the usury limit imposed by the Constitution of the State of Arkansas. Based on the str...

ATTORNEY GENERAL DUSTIN MCDANIEL ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT OF ANTITRUST LAWSUIT AGAINST BARR PHARMACEUTICALS

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Little Rock, AR - Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced the settlement of a lawsuit against the drug company, Barr Pharmaceuticals. The lawsuit, joined by thirty-three other states, and the District of Columbia, alleged that Barr Pharmaceuticals and Warner Chilcott violated state and federal antitrust laws by taking steps that prevented generic versions of Ovcon®, a prescription oral contr...

MCDANIEL JOINS 28 OTHER ATTORNEYS GENERAL IN SETTLING CONSUMER PROTECTION CLAIMS AGAINST CAREMARK

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600

LITTLE ROCK- Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced that he along with Attorneys General from 28 other states, entered into a settlement of consumer protection claims against Caremark Rx, L.L.C., one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefits management (PBM) companies. The States allege that Caremark engaged in deceptive business practices by encouraging doctors to switch patients t...

McDaniel Announces $11 Million Settlement With Drug Manufacturer Merck

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600

LITTLE ROCK - Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced that the Arkansas Medicaid program will receive $11,371,948 as part of two separate global settlements totaling $649 million with Merck & Co., Inc.. The settlements involve 49 states, the District of Columbia and the federal government. Merck is the manufacturer of the drugs Zocor, Vioxx, and Pepcid. The settlement resolves allegat...

McDaniel Files Suit against Deceptive Veterans Charity

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600

McDaniel Files Suit against Deceptive Veterans Charity LITTLE ROCK-Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced the filing of a consumer protection lawsuit against a Washington State-based organization which calls itself The American Veterans Coalition ("AVC"). The lawsuit alleges that AVC and its owners have conducted fraudulent fundraising activities in violation of the Arkansas De...

McDaniel Files Suit Against Ferrellgas

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600

McDaniel Files Suit Against Ferrellgas Deceptive Trade Practices Alleged LITTLE ROCK- Yesterday, the Attorney General's office, on behalf of the State of Arkansas and 45,000 Arkansas Ferrellgas customers, filed suit against Ferrellgas for violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act ("DTPA"). "I have gone to great lengths to resolve these issues with Ferrellgas, but it has...

McDaniel First Arkansan Named Aspen-Rodel Fellow

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600

LITTLE ROCK - Thursday, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel will depart for Aspen, Colorado to participate in three days of meetings with the third class of the Aspen Institute's Rodel Fellows program. He is the first Arkansan selected as a Fellow. McDaniel will join one other attorney general, four lieutenant governors, and officials from various levels of federal, state and local government, repre...

McDaniel to Supports Gun Ownership Rights for Citizens at High Court

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600

McDaniel to Support Gun Ownership Rights for Citizens at High Court LITTLE ROCK- Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced his intent to support the Second Amendment as a "right to bear arms" for individuals, not just militia members, by joining a brief to be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. Last week, the high court agreed to hear District of Columbia v. Heller, a lawsuit challe...

Attorney General McDaniel Files Suit Against Out-of-business Auto Dealership & Owner

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Hyundai Dealership Failed to Pay Off Trade-in Vehicles and Failed to Honor other Commitments to Consumers LITTLE ROCK- Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel filed a lawsuit against McKay Motors, LLC as well as John P. McKay who operated McKay Hyundai in Pine Bluff. The lawsuit alleges that McKay Motors, through its dealership McKay Hyundai, accepted trade-in vehicles but did not pay off ...

Online Auction Scam Uncovered, Consumer Refunded Money

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500

LITTLE ROCK - While online auction scams are not new, scammers are becoming more sophisticated and going to greater lengths to defraud consumers. Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel wants to draw attention to a particularly shocking scam in order to encourage Arkansans to exercise caution when shopping on Internet auction sites. Recently, Alice Medlock of Van Buren was helping her son buy...

Attorney General McDaniel Announces Agreement with AOL

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Company will refund consumers and modify its cancellation and retention practices LITTLE ROCK- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel today announced an agreement with AOL requiring the company to make significant changes in honoring consumer cancellation requests and further ordering refunds for consumers. Arkansas served as a member of the Executive Committee that negotiated the agreement with AOL...

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel Reaches Agreement with Trilegiant Corporation

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Little Rock- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel today announced a settlement with Trilegiant Corporation resolving allegations that the company tricked consumers into paying for membership programs providing for discounts on car and home repair, shopping, and other goods and services. The settlement resolves claims that Trilegiant solicited consumers with offers of "free trial" membership programs w...

McDaniel Joins National Taskforce to Examine Legal & Policy Barriers to Ensuring School Safety

Wed, 16 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500

ATTORNEY GENERAL DUSTIN MCDANIEL JOINS NATIONAL TASK FORCE TO EXAMINE LEGAL AND POLICY BARRIERS TO ENSURING SCHOOL SAFETY LITTLE ROCK--Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced plans today to join a coalition of the nation's state Attorneys General in a coordinated effort to examine legal issues related to school violence and safety. In light of recent outbreaks of violence on college campu...

Beware of "Free Money" Scams

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500

LITTLE ROCK - Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued this consumer alert to warn Arkansans about a new scam soliciting "secret shoppers." Recently the Public Protection Department of the Office of the Attorney General has received several complaints and inquiries about this scam, in which consumers receive a solicitation via the mail alerting them that they have been chosen as a "secret sh...

Attorney General McDaniel to Return to Arkansas

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Today Concludes Three Days of Meetings in DC LITTLE ROCK- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel will return today from Washington D.C. after three days of meetings with 47 other Attorneys General from around the country at the spring meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). While there he met with U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Just...

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel Announces $3.2 Million Settlement in Fraud Case

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600

LITTLE ROCK- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced today that pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering-Plough Corporation of New Jersey, has paid $3.2 million in civil damages, fines and penalties for offenses against the Medicaid and Medicare programs. While the majority of the settlement went to the federal government, $986,902.18 was paid directly to the State of Arkansas. The recent settle...

Attorney General McDaniel Recognizes Teen Dating Violence Week

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600

AG's office to start new educational program LITTLE ROCK-- Today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel recognized the week of February 5 as Arkansas Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. He also announced the Attorney General's office is developing a new educational program geared towards educating teens on warning signs and prevention measures with regard to teen dating vi...

Attorney General's Office Wins in Supreme Court

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Arkansas Safer as a Result of Today's Decision LITTLE ROCK-The Arkansas Attorney General's office won an important case today before the Arkansas Supreme Court. In a unanimous decision authored by Associate Justice Tom Glaze, the court held that Jeremy Eli Bailey, who had been charged with kidnapping and raping a 17 year old girl with a knife in September 2000, must register as a sex offe...

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel Announces Legislative Package

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Methamphetamine, Child Protection, and ID Theft Top Package LITTLE ROCK- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced his legislative package and priorities for the 86th General Assembly. Fighting Methamphetamine, Child Protection and ID theft highlight his first package to present to the Legislature. McDaniel announced a pair of bills to help fight Arkansas's methamphet...

Attorney General McDaniel Targets Identity Theft

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Today, newly elected Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced a proposal aimed at preventing identity theft that will be presented as part of his legislative package for the 2007 legislative session. "Essentially what you'll see is a package of bills that fall under the categories of consumer protection and/or law enforcement," McDaniel said. The "Security Freeze Act" will allow victims of...