LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) – The state of Arkansas and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge have filed a consumer-protection lawsuit against a company that allegedly sold third-party alarm monitoring and then closed its business without returning money customers had prepaid for services.
According to the lawsuit filed by the Rutledge in a Pulaski County Circuit Court, Alert America violated the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act when it closed its doors without sending payments to the third parties. Customers allegedly were then left with discontinued services that they had prepaid, and several consumers reported a loss of more than $1,000 that they had paid without receiving services, the attorney general's office said.
“Arkansans who pay for services expect to get what they pay for,” Rutledge said in a statement. “Companies like Alert America that act dishonestly will not be tolerated in Arkansas. Alert America willfully chose to deceive and violate the trust of many Arkansans, and I will continue to pursue companies that take advantage of Arkansans’ hard-earned money.”
The attorney general is seeking civil penalties, restitution for the affected customers, attorney's fees, costs as well as an injunction against Alert America.