Indiana Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Dillsboro Emergency Ambulance Unit

Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 7:21 AM

By Office of Attorney General Todd Rokita, news release

The suit alleges DEA endangers the community by failing to provide services.

INDIANAPOLIS - Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit alleging that the nonprofit Dillsboro Emergency Ambulance Unit Inc. has shown itself unable to provide services to the community — thereby endangering the lives of Hoosiers through lengthy wait times in emergency situations.

“Dillsboro and surrounding Dearborn County residents deserve an ambulance service provider that responds to calls in a timely manner,” Attorney General Rokita said. “The nonprofit assets held by this corporation should be put to use for their intended purpose. Their response time is unacceptable when lives are truly at stake.”

Dillsboro Emergency Ambulance Unit was incorporated in 1965 for the purpose of providing emergency services in and around Dillsboro. It operated in that capacity from 1965 until 2024 when it failed to obtain a contract for services in Dearborn County.

The lawsuit alleges that Dillsboro Emergency Ambulance Unit’s response rate has been falling since at least 2021 and has bottomed out at responding to a mere 12% of calls — forcing the local community to engage additional service providers and expend resources to cover the services that the defendant failed to provide.

Attorney General Rokita is bringing this lawsuit under the Indiana Nonprofit Corporation Act in order to request that a receiver be appointed over Dillsboro Emergency Ambulance Unit to wind down the corporation’s affairs and ensure the corporate assets are being used for the benefit of the citizens of Dillsboro and surrounding communities in Dearborn County.

The lawsuit and a related court document are attached.