LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued the following statement in response to the passing of Arkansas Game and Fish Commissioner Joe Morgan.

“Arkansas lost an incredible man, avid sportsman and conservationist, Arkansas Game and Fish Commissioner Joe Morgan,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “He was a loving husband, father, Christian, servant leader and friend to many with a wonderful sense of humor. His smile could light the darkest of rooms. Please join me in praying for his family during this difficult time.”

U.S. Representative Dr. Buddy Carter to keynote Rx Summit

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the Ninth Annual Arkansas Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit would be offered virtually on December 8, 2020. The Summit will continue to serve as a free training and educational opportunity for law enforcement officers, medical professionals, treatment specialists, pharmacists, educators and family members. This year’s event will be offered virtually to enable attendees to participate in accordance with the COVID-19 public health emergency. In addition to plenary sessions and breakouts, there will be an attendee “lounge” where you can meet and network with other attendees. All registered participants will have access to the online content for three months following the event. Please also note that new for this year, there will be a family breakout track in addition to clinical, criminal justice, counseling/recovery and education/prevention tracks.

“Now more than ever, Arkansans need education and training to support those with opioid addiction and this year’s event provides the opportunity to reach even more Arkansans where they are,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I am so proud of the partnership that has been fostered from our Summit and am confident that this year’s event will have an even further reach and build on those partnerships to save lives and help end the opioid crisis.”

Those who gather for the all-day Summit will hear remarks from the Attorney General, Governor Asa Hutchinson, Senator Tom Cotton and Executive Director of the Arkansas Board of Pharmacy, John Kirtley, who this year received the National Lester Hosto Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Breakout sessions will be held on the neurobiology of addiction and recovery, opioid trends, the truth about prescription drugs, recovery resources and Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hayes family story.

The keynote address will come from Georgia Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter. He is an experienced businessman, health care professional and faithful public servant. As the owner of Carter’s Pharmacy, Inc., South Georgians have trusted Buddy with their most valuable assets: their health, lives and families for more than thirty years. As the only Pharmacist serving in U.S. Legislature, Congressman Carter is the co-chair of the Community Pharmacy Caucus and is dedicated to working towards a health care system that provides more choices, less costs and better services.

The afternoon sessions will include clinical regulatory updates, Naloxone updates, Opioid Prevention for Aging and Longevity (O.P.A.L), the Recovery Clinic and family resources.

Plenary sessions will include a presentation about the amazing work of some of the community coalitions across the state. The day will close out with the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care and Drug Director Kirk Lane discussing the new Arkansas Opioid Dashboard.

A full listing of all continuing education approvals is located on the event website.

In addition to Attorney General Rutledge, the Summit is sponsored by the Arkansas Board of Pharmacy, the Arkansas Drug Director’s Office and the University of Arkansas System’s Criminal Justice Institute. Other partners include the Arkansas Alcohol Drug Coordinating Council, Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Arkansas Division of Behavioral Health Services, Arkansas Medical Board, Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas National Guard Counterdrug Program, Arkansas State Board of Nursing, Arkansas Prevention Network, Arkansas Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gulf Coast HIDTA, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Foundation, University of Arkansas at Little Rock MidSOUTH Center for Prevention and Training, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

For more information about the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit or to sign up for this free event visit ArkansasAG.gov.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the conviction of two Faulkner County women for Medicaid fraud and elder abuse. Vonita Pitones and Juanita Rowden (Juanita Cruz) pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception, a Class C felony, and abuse of adults, a Class D felony, in Faulkner County Circuit Court.

Pitones was sentenced to three years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections with an additional two years suspended imposition of sentence. Rowden was sentenced to five years probation and also ordered to pay a fine of $2,500. As part of the sentencing agreement, they must jointly and severally pay $2,639 in restitution to the Arkansas Medicaid Program Trust Fund.

“Investigators and Arkansas Attorney General’s office attorneys work tirelessly to investigate and prosecute those who commit Medicaid fraud and elder abuse,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I will ensure that people attempting to defraud and hurt Arkansans are held accountable and that type of action is not tolerated in our State.”

Rowden provided private care to the victim and unlawfully filled out Medicaid documents to allow her daughter, Pitones, to be her home health aide through Absolute Care in Conway. Pitones billed for Medicaid services not provided including changing and bathing the victim. Neither Rowden nor Pitones provided adequate care and the victim was neglected. The victim’s daughter found her mother in need of medical attention. She was hospitalized for dehydration, sepsis, pneumonia and several pressure wounds. The victim passed away eight days later. The case was referred to the Attorney General's Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by the Faulkner County Prosecutor’s Office and was prosecuted in conjunction with them.

To report Medicaid fraud or abuse or neglect in residential care facilities, contact the Attorney General’s Medicaid fraud hotline at (866) 810-0016 or oag@arkansasag.gov.

Says, ‘Arkansans will not be taken advantage of by any businesses attempting to deceive them’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced today a $113 million settlement with Apple, Inc. regarding Apple’s 2016 decision to throttle, or slow down, consumers’ iPhone speeds in order to address unexpected shutdowns in some iPhones. General Rutledge is leading this lawsuit along with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, and a coalition of 30 attorneys general across the United States.

“Mobile phones have become an essential part of our daily lives,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “We rely on companies like Apple to provide the service it promised and that consumers have paid for. Arkansans will not be taken advantage of by any businesses attempting to deceive them and I will not hesitate to stand up to companies taking advantage of hard working Arkansans, no matter how large.”

Based on the multistate investigation, the attorneys general allege that Apple discovered battery issues were leading to unexpected shutdowns in iPhones. Rather than disclosing these issues or replacing batteries, however, Apple concealed the issues from consumers. Apple’s concealment ultimately led to a software update in December 2016 that slowed or throttled iPhone performance in an effort to keep the phones from unexpectedly shutting down. Apple failed to inform consumers about the reduced performance of the phones, leaving many consumers to believe that they needed to upgrade to a new iPhone, when a battery replacement would have solved the performance problem.

The attorneys general allege that Apple’s concealment of the battery issues and decision to throttle the performance of consumers’ iPhones then led to Apple profiting from selling new iPhones to consumers whose old iPhones had slowed down.

Under the settlement, Apple will pay the state of Arkansas $4,295,115.09, designated to the Consumer Education & Enforcement Fund for the protection of consumers. In addition to the monetary payment, Apple also must provide truthful information to consumers about iPhone battery health, performance, and power management. Apple must provide this important information in various forms on its website, in update installation notes, and in the iPhone user interface itself. Apple also recently entered into a proposed settlement of class action litigation related to the same conduct, and under that proposed settlement Apple will pay out up to $500 million in consumer restitution.

Consumers inquiring about their potential eligibility for iPhone battery replacements can contact Apple Support at https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/service/battery-power. Consumers desiring to check the status of the class action litigation and eligibility for any restitution payments can contact the Apple litigation claims administrator at https://www.smartphoneperformancesettlement.com/.

Alternatively, consumers can file complaints with the Attorney General’s Office on ArkansasAG.gov or by emailing OAG@arkansasag.gov.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued a statement following the announcement Helena-West Helena Police Officer Travis Wallace was killed in the line of duty Thursday evening.

“My heart again goes out to the family of Helena-West Helena Police Officer Travis Wallace who was tragically killed in the line of duty Thursday night,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Officer Wallace was known for his unwavering service to his community and commitment to protecting the people of Helena-West Helena. His family and fellow officers are in my heart and prayers during this unimaginable time. With two Arkansas police officers killed in the line of duty in just over a month, I again implore all Arkansans to join with me in daily fervent prayer for the safety of our law enforcement officers.”