LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today released the following statement after the announcement of the passing of retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

“Justice Stevens served our great nation for many years,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “My prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”

Says ‘We are very proud to train and equip the future leaders of our State’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has welcomed 15 students from across the State into the Attorney General’s Office annual summer internship program.

“We are very proud to train and equip the future leaders of our state through our internship program,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “This class of interns features quality students from both undergraduate and graduate programs at high caliber institutions across the nation who will benefit by gaining valuable experience serving the great people of Arkansas.”

Iyannah Anderson is a freshman at Pulaski Technical College where she studies criminal justice. Iyannah is a 2019 graduate from the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in her hometown of Little Rock. She is working in the Community Engagement Department.

Abigail Barr is a senior at Arkansas State University where she studies political science with minors in economics and philosophy. Abigail is a 2016 graduate from Southside High School in her hometown of Fort Smith. She is working in the Civil Department.

Samuel Beavers is a senior at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where he studies political science focusing on law and international relations. Samuel is a 2016 graduate from Watson Chapel High School in his hometown of Pine Bluff. He is working in the Communications Department.

Skyler Coombs is a sophomore at Northwest Arkansas Community College and is a history major. Coombs graduated from Life Way Christian School in Centerton in 2017 and previously attended Harding University. He is working in the Northwest Arkansas District Office.

Duncan Diaz is a junior at Rhodes College in Memphis where he studies history. Duncan is a 2017 graduate from Little Rock Catholic High School for Boys in his hometown of Little Rock. He is working in the Solicitor General Department.

Sakiya Hearns is a junior at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where she studies political science. Sakiya is a 2017 graduate of Central High School in her hometown of Little Rock. She is working in the Community Engagement Department.

Jarret Jones is a senior at the University of Arkansas and is enrolled in the Sam M. Walton College of Business Honors Program pursing a degree in management. Jones graduated from Fellowship Academy in Kennedale, Texas, in 2017. He is working in the Northwest Arkansas District Office.

Royce LoBianco is a recent graduate of Lyon College where he was a double major, studying both political science and economics. Royce is from Maumelle and graduated in 2015 from Little Rock Catholic High School for Boys. He is working in the Logistics Department.

Zachary McCormack is a junior at Lyon College where he studies political science. Zachary is a 2017 graduate from Central High School in his hometown of Little Rock. He is working in the Public Protection Department.

Amber McGee is a senior at the University of Arkansas where she studies public health and nursing. Amber is a 2017 graduate of Bryant High School in her hometown of Bryant. She is working in the Community Engagement Department.

Alex Nauman is a sophomore at the University of Arizona, where he studies pre-business. Alex is a 2018 graduate from Central High School in his hometown of Little Rock. He is working in the Public Protection Department.

Evan Nelson is a recent graduate of Ouachita Baptist University where he earned a degree in business administration and sports management. Evan is from Little Rock where he graduated in 2015 from the Baptist Preparatory School. He is working in the Community Engagement Department.

Peyton Ramsey is a senior at Mississippi College where she studies criminal justice with a minor in psychology. Peyton is a 2016 graduate from Bryant High School in her hometown of Bryant. She is working in the Community Engagement Department.

Rose Stewart-Maddox is a sophomore at the University of Arkansas and is studying pre-law, social work and criminology. Stewart-Maddox is a 2018 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa. She is working in the Northwest Arkansas District Office.

Jordan Williams-Smith is a freshman at Arkansas Baptist College where he studies public administration. Jordan is a 2019 graduate of the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in his hometown of Little Rock. He is working in the Community Engagement Department.

“Visiting your health provider should not result in a loss of privacy”

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today filed a settlement requiring Premera Blue Cross to implement safeguards to protect sensitive consumer information and to pay $57,244.33 to the State of Arkansas over its failure to secure sensitive consumer data, a violation of the Personal Information Protection Act. Premera’s insufficient data security exposed highly sensitive health and personal information of nearly 20,000 Arkansans and more than 10.4 million consumers nationwide. Rutledge was joined in the suit and settlement with 29 other state attorneys general.

“Whether you are sick or just getting a check-up, visiting your health provider should not result in a loss of privacy regarding personal information,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Premera misled Arkansans into believing that their personal information was secure.”

From May 5, 2014 until March 6, 2015, a hacker had unauthorized access to the Premera network containing sensitive personal information including: private health information, Social Security numbers, bank account information, names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, member identification numbers and email addresses. The hacker took advantage of multiple known weaknesses in Premera’s data security. For years prior to the breach, cybersecurity experts and the company’s own auditors repeatedly warned Premera of its inadequate security program, yet the company accepted many of the risks without fixing its practices.

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which governs health insurers, Premera is required to implement administrative, physical and technical safeguards that reasonably and appropriately protect sensitive consumer information.

Today’s settlement also requires Premera to:

• Ensure its data security program protects personal health information as required by law.
• Regularly assess and update its security measures.
• Provide data security reports, completed by a third-party security expert approved by Attorney General Rutledge and the attorneys general of other states participating in the settlement.
• Hire a chief information security officer, a separate position from the chief information officer. The information security officer must be experienced in data security and HIPAA compliance and will be responsible for implementing, maintaining and monitoring the company’s security program.
• Hold regular meetings between the chief information security officer and Premera’s executive management. The information security officer must meet with Premera’s CEO every two months and inform the CEO of any unauthorized intrusion into the Premera network within 48 hours of discovery.

Today’s multistate settlement against Premera also includes Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

Says, ‘being held responsible for its unacceptable business practices’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge obtained a judgment valued at more than $600,000 against The Resort Place LLC and owners Jay Allen Edmonson and Dora Ann Edmonson. The Resort Place operated under the names Resort Place Travel and C4Success. Based on allegations in the complaint, The Resort Place failed to book pre-paid vacations and used consumers’ credit card information to pay for other consumers’ vacations.

“The Resort Place is being held responsible for its unacceptable business practices and causing 47 consumers to lose their hard-earned money,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I’m dedicated to protecting Arkansans from these types of deceptive business practices.”

The judgment, which was filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court, orders The Resort Place to pay $162,614.00 in restitution to consumers. The Edmonsons must also pay $10,000 in civil penalties for each affected consumer, totaling $470,000. The Resort Place’s business license has been revoked, and the Edmonsons have been barred from owning an online travel agency or working as travel agents in the future.

Rutledge filed a consumer-protection lawsuit against The Resort Place in February 2017 after receiving a number of consumer complaints. The settlement concludes a multi-year investigation into The Resort Place.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced the arrest of a Polk County man for crimes involving children.

James Edward Schroer, 41, of Cove, was arrested by the Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit on 30 counts of distributing, possessing or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, a Class C felony. He is currently being held at the Polk County jail on $500,000 bond.

Special agents in the Attorney General’s office seized three phones, two computer hard drives, two tablets, three SD cards, and 12 flash drives from the home. This file will be turned over to 18th West Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Andy Riner.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump announced Lee Rudofsky’s nomination for a judgeship in the U.S. District Court Eastern District.

“When I hired Lee away from Walmart in 2015, I knew that he had the experience and legal acumen to be the lead strategist on crucial litigation for my administration as the first official Solicitor General of the Attorney General’s Office,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I am confident that as a jurist Lee will be fair, impartial and will adhere to the rule of law.”

In 2015, Rudofsky was hired by Attorney General Rutledge to be the first official Solicitor General for the Attorney General. In that role, he advised Attorney General Rutledge on several key proceedings, including defending the State’s decision to successfully terminate Medicaid program funding to Planned Parenthood. He organized a multistate, bipartisan and multimillion dollar lawsuit against the State of Delaware to the U.S. Supreme Court and successfully guided litigation allowing the execution of convicted murderers by lethal injection. Rudofsky is also credited with implementing the office’s formal moot court program to prepare office attorneys for argument as well as establishing a clear review process of all briefs going to the 8th Circuit and Arkansas Supreme Court.