LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - The State of Arkansas has brought civil action against two Arkansas men and their business for allegedly violating the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (ADTPA), according to documents filed in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County.
The State, represented by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, alleged Feb. 12 that Russell Mashburn and Billy Rice, through their business Accessibility Specialties, Inc. (ASI), executed a scheme that intentionally deceived and damaged its customers.
ASI, in operation since 1996, is a retailer of accessibility and mobility equipment for disabled people, including vehicle modifications. The suit states that, on at least one occasion, ASI sold a customer's vehicle that was given to the company for accessibility conversion to a third party and kept all the proceeds without the customer's knowledge or consent.
An Arkansas family, the Greenwell family, was forced to take out a second loan on their van for their disabled son and pay double what the van was worth, because ASI sold a different customer's van to them without the customer's knowledge, the suit says. The Greenwells ultimately paid $99,000 for a van valued at less than $50,000, the suit says.
Arkansas is seeking an injunction against the defendants, as well as an order imposing civil penalties and restitution to the affected customers.