NLR man sues board to get fine overturned

A North Little Rock man filed suit on Tuesday to overturn a $150,000 fine imposed by state regulators who claim he worked as a pharmacist without licensing.

The penalties against William Keith Dickson, who received his pharmacy doctorate in August 2022, were imposed after a Feb. 7 hearing of the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy. Dickson did not attend the hearing.

In his complaint to Pulaski County Circuit Judge Patti James, Dickson protests the fine and the board’s findings as unfair and a violation of his rights, stating that he did not attend the hearing because he was not notified the proceeding was taking place.

Dickson states he would have shown up to defend himself if he’d known about the hearing. His notice was mailed to a Stamps address, which was described as his last known residence, board records show.

Represented by Little Rock attorney Darren O’Quinn, Dickson is asking the judge to block and reverse the board’s penalties and findings or at least order the board to address Dickson’s accusations.

Dickson is suffering irreparable harm from the board’s actions because the regulators have reported him to the National Practitioner Databank and published their actions on the board’s web site and in its newsletter, according to his petition.

Board records state that Dickson, after his graduate permit expired, worked without a license for 11 months, from December 2022 until October 2023, and filled 8,770 prescriptions.

The board also barred him from obtaining any sort of pharmacy license and prohibited him from taking the licensing test, the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination, known as NAPLEX.