Two chiropractic clinic to pay $321,000 after medical records found dumped in a park

Little Rock, Arkansas – After state officials said they dumped patient files in a park in Mayflower, two chiropractic clinics will pay $321,000.

On Monday, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced the judgment against 501 Pain & Rehab LLC of Conway and 501 Pain and Rehab Family Clinic of Russellville and owners Dr. John D’Onofrio and Donny McCuien in a release.

The lawsuit stems from an incident in November 2020 when Mayflower city employees alerted local police that a white truck was parked in a wooded area in Palarm Park and left approximately 271 medical files.

Authorities quickly discovered that the documents were discarded by 501 Pain and Rehab, after researching the files.

The files were eventually taken to the Arkansas Board of Chiropractic Examiners which reported the incident to Attorney General Rutledge’s office who filed a lawsuit in May 2021. “These healthcare providers violated their duty to protect their patients’ information, and now they are being held accountable,” Rutledge said in the statement. “This judgment reinforces the fact that consumers must be able to trust their healthcare providers to follow the law and prioritize the protection of sensitive data.”

For failing to protect their patients’ personal information and failing to properly dispose of patient information as required by law, the court found that the defendants violated the Personal Information Privacy Act and the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.