Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has sued Jim Bakker; Morningside Church Productions, which produces The Jim Bakker Show, and Sherrill Sellman, over the sale of a product falsely claimed to cure COVID-19.
The office sued in Pulaski Circuit Court under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Rutledge said 385 Arkansans had spent more than $60,000 purchasing colloidal silver products this year.
Her release said:
In February 2020, The Jim Bakker Show hosted Sherrill Sellman who falsely claimed the colloidal silver products hawked by Jim Bakker were “proven by the government to have the ability to kill every pathogen it has ever been tested on, including SARS and HIV… .” Both Bakker and Sellman have separately received warning letters from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for selling unapproved drugs to cure or prevent COVID-19. The FDA had previously stated that silver products are not scientifically recognized to be safe and effective.
The suit seeks restitution and civil penalties.
Bakker earlier sued Rutledge in Missouri to stop her from getting financial information, claiming it was an incursion on his religious freedom.
Her release said today:
“Let me be clear, this case is not about freedom of religion. This is a consumer fraud case and I urge any Arkansans who have experience with these false advertisements claiming silver to be a COVID-19 cure to immediately call my office.”