Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has joined the attorneys general of Louisiana and Alabama in legal action targeting individuals and organizations accused of shipping abortion pills into states where abortion is largely prohibited.
Griffin announced Wednesday, September 30, that the 3 states filed a federal civil lawsuit against 29 defendants following what he described as a multi-year investigation.
The lawsuit alleges the defendants shipped abortion medication into Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama in violation of laws in those states.
According to Griffin’s office, the lawsuit includes claims under federal public nuisance common law as well as allegations that defendants violated Arkansas consumer-protection laws.
The complaint alleges the defendants knowingly violated Arkansas law and misrepresented or failed to adequately disclose information concerning the safety, effectiveness, legality and federal regulatory status of abortion medications.
Those are allegations contained in the lawsuit and have not been adjudicated by a court.
Griffin said the legal action follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned significant authority over abortion regulation to the states.
“The rule of law matters, and with this action, we are sending a clear signal that our states take our laws seriously,” Griffin said.
He added that he intends to continue defending laws passed by the Arkansas General Assembly restricting abortion.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined Griffin in announcing the litigation.
The 3 attorneys general also filed a separate original action asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider a challenge to abortion “shield laws” in California, Massachusetts and New York.
Those laws are designed to protect certain health-care providers and others from investigations, subpoenas, extradition requests or legal judgments originating in states where abortion is restricted when the underlying activity is lawful in the shield-law state.
Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama argue those protections interfere with their ability to enforce their own abortion laws across state lines.
New York Attorney General Letitia James rejected that argument Wednesday, saying Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas are attempting to apply their abortion restrictions to New York providers. James said New York will defend its shield law and providers operating under it.
The constitutional and jurisdictional questions surrounding conflicting state abortion laws and shield laws are now before the courts.
No court ruling on the merits of the newly filed lawsuits had been announced at the time of this report.
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