Arkansas AG Sues Chiropractic ‘Runners’

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., June 23 -- The Arkansas Attorney General issued the following news release:

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel filed a consumer-protection lawsuit today against a Pulaski County man, the businesses he owns and his employees for deceptively marketing chiropractic services to consumers involved in automobile accidents.

McDaniel announced at a news conference this morning that he had filed the lawsuit against Roger D. Pleasant, his employees Rogerick Pleasant, James "Jimmy" Hinton and Brian Hinton, and the entities Information and Discovery Inc., PSG and Investigation LLC, Accident Claim Service LLC, Physician First Marketing Group LLC and Network Collision Group LLC.

(Click here to view a copy of the lawsuit.) (https://static.ark.org/eeuploads/ag/Pleasant_Complaint.pdf)

The defendants are accused of using deception and harassing tactics in their attempts to convince accident victims to visit a chiropractor. Roger Pleasant and his employees are known as chiropractic "runners." They collect consumer information from accident reports, and then solicit business on behalf of the chiropractors who pay them if the consumer seeks treatment from the chiropractor.

Pleasant and his employees are accused of lying to consumers, repeatedly calling the consumers on the phone and showing up at consumers' home or workplace in efforts to coerce consumers into visiting the chiropractor for whom they were working.

"These chiropractic runners use many deceptive tactics in their attempts to force a consumer to seek chiropractic treatment. They may pose insurance agents or claims adjusters and may call at all hours of the day or night," McDaniel said. "But it is clear in this instance that the health or well-being of a consumer does not matter to them. All that matters is the kickback they will receive from a chiropractor who is involved in the scheme."

McDaniel's lawsuit accuses the defendants of telling accident victims that they will not receive any insurance proceeds from the accident unless they visit a specific chiropractor for treatment, among other actions in violation of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The defendants have also implied that chiropractors would not charge for services, only for consumers to later discover that chiropractic clinics have filed medical liens.

The lawsuit was filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court.

McDaniel asked the Court to issue an injunction ordering Roger Pleasant, the businesses he controls and his employees to stop their deceptive actions. The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties and attorneys' fees and costs.

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