Attorney General Griffin Wins $470,000 Judgment against Capital City Tree Service
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today announced a $470,000 judgment against Capital City Tree Service, LLC, after the Pulaski County Circuit Court found the company violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act 47 times.
The court ordered Capital City to pay the maximum civil penalty allowed under Arkansas law, $10,000 for each violation, and required the company to revise its consumer contracts to clearly disclose its dealings with insurance companies and consumers’ financial responsibilities. Attorney General Griffin issued the following statement:
“This judgment sends a clear message: Companies cannot exploit Arkansans recovering from disaster. After the devastating tornadoes of 2023 and 2024, families were focused on rebuilding their homes and lives. Capital City told consumers they would have no out-of-pocket costs and that it would work with insurance to cover expenses. Then, when insurance did not pay the full amount, the company pursued homeowners for the difference and filed liens against their properties. I am pleased the court held Capital City accountable for these unconscionable actions and imposed the maximum penalty allowed by law. I also commend the outstanding work of my Consumer Protection Division in securing this result.”
The court’s order requires Capital City to use clear contract language informing consumers that the company will submit claims to homeowners’ insurance carriers but has no control over claim decisions. The order also requires Capital City to clearly disclose that consumers remain responsible for costs not covered by insurance.
To read the court’s order, click here.
To download a PDF version of this release, click here.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin is currently an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard and holds the rank of colonel. Griffin served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.
His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.
Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.
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