By Jean Salyer of Tiger’s Justice Team
Tiger’s Justice Team has created a public Facebook page for Tiger. Our goal is to provide information to friends of Tiger concerning the status of Kristen Lindsey’s case with the vet board. Below is an update.
Status of Lindsey Case 9/3/15:
Tiger supporters were very pleased that the board (Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners) found violation(s) after the Informal Conference (“IC”) of 8/28/15. This does not mean the matter is closed. The following remarks explain some of the actions that an accused veterinarian may take:
At the end of the IC, the board deliberates and determines whether or not a violation has occurred. We know that the committee decided that Kristen Lindsey did violate one or more rules, but the nature of the violation(s) remains confidential at this time.
When the violation has been decided, the vet board’s attorney prepares a document called an “Agreed Order.” Note that this does not mean the accused vet has agreed to anything. It is only the title of the document.
The Agreed Order states the violations and the proposed sanctions against the vet.
A copy of the Agreed Order is sent to the vet. The vet is allowed a certain amount of time (14 days) to respond to the charges. The vet can either accept or reject the Agreed Order.
If a vet accepts the order and the associated penalties, then the violations become public record.
The accused vet has the option to reject the Agreed Order also. If this happens then the case is referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) where the matter becomes contested and a formal hearing takes place with a judge. This is the point at which the vet board loses its authority.
The SOAH hearing functions much like a civil trial and standard rules of evidence apply. The vet board’s attorney presents its side of the case. The accused vet may hire an attorney to represent him/her. There are several other steps that may be taken, including an appeal.
The source of this information is the pamphlet “How the Board Handles Complaints against Veterinarians.” Each person who filed a complaint against Kristen Lindsey was sent a copy of this pamphlet, and further information is contained in it. The comments above were intended to give a brief explanation to those who are not familiar with the board’s procedures.
Jean
P.S. See all Kristen Lindsey articles.
Please comment on Facebook as well as it helps spread the word – thanks.
$15! What a shame. ‘Likes’ are worthless and talk is cheap