Dotson v. Texas State Board of Medical Examiners

607 S.W.2d 36, 1980 Tex. App. LEXIS 3978
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 9, 1980
DocketNo. 18302
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 607 S.W.2d 36 (Dotson v. Texas State Board of Medical Examiners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dotson v. Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, 607 S.W.2d 36, 1980 Tex. App. LEXIS 3978 (Tex. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

OPINION

SPURLOCK, Justice.

Beverly Ann Dotson, M.D. and Daniel Anthony Dotson, M.D. appealed to the District Court from an order of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners suspending their license to practice medicine for ten years and five years respectively, which order was probated provided they attend a school on drug abuse and did not prescribe drugs of a certain class. The trial court sustained the Board’s order and an appeal was perfected to this court.

We affirm.

The Board found that Beverly Dotson, on four specific occasions prescribed Preludin for John T. Richter, alias Johnny Kyle, which drug was non-therapeutic in the manner such drug was prescribed, in that the said John T. Richter had no illness, injury or disease for which the drug Prelu-din would have had any therapeutic value. The Board found that on eight other specific occasions this doctor prescribed Ritalin tablets to the same person when he had no illness, injury or disease for which this drug would have had any therapeutic value.

The Board further found that Daniel Anthony Dotson on one occasion prescribed Preludin tablets to Richter and on one occasion he prescribed Elavil tablets to Barbara F. Foreman.

The Board further found that on three other occasions Daniel Dotson prescribed Ritalin tablets to Barbara Foreman. The Board further found that on each of these occasions the patient had no illness, injury or disease for which these drugs would have any therapeutic value.

[38]*38The record before the Board shows that each of the above patients were investigators for the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, hereinafter referred to as the Board.

Richter came to the Dotson Clinic and asked for Dr. Dan and was referred to Dr. Beverly. He filled out a card as a new patient which had only the information of his name, address, occupation, and who to notify in case of emergency. In a few minutes a nurse took him to an examining room where she took his blood pressure, weighed him, and asked what he wanted to see the doctor for. The patient said he had a headache but “I am 43 years old. I guess I have had it all my life.” Dr. Beverly came in and asked him to tell her about his headaches so he told her “I did not have a headache” but “could I talk to her.” He told her that he worked for a well service company and worked all night and liked to play around all day and needed something to keep him up. She wrote a prescription and the nurse delivered it to him. He was prescribed Serax.

On the second trip Richter saw Dr. Beverly and again a nurse weighed him and took his blood pressure. Dr. Beverly came in and said something about his headache and he reminded her that he didn’t have a headache, that he needed something to keep him up. He told her that Serax was not doing any good and he used to see a doctor in Laredo who gave him fixes and he had prescribed Preludin. Richter said he had also taken Reds, which is Seconal. Dr. Beverly wrote him a prescription on January 6, 1976, for 30 Preludin. On February 19, 1976, following similar procedure, the doctor prescribed 60 Preludin tablets and 30 Valium tablets. On March 10,1976, following the usual procedure of being weighed, blood pressure taken by the nurse, he was prescribed 60 Preludin and 30 Valium tablets. On April 7, 1976, following similar procedure, he was prescribed 90 Preludin and 30 Valium tablets. On July 14, 1976, following similar procedure, he was prescribed 120 Ritalin tablets.

On April 19, 1977, Richter called the receptionist and reminded her that he was an old patient and needed his prescription and he went by the office and picked up a prescription for 100 Ritalin tablets with three refills marked on it ánd did not see Dr. Beverly. On each of the following six occasions in which he was prescribed Ritalin, he saw the receptionist, the nurse took his blood pressure and weighed him. Dr. Beverly saw him briefly and gave him the prescriptions.

Barbara Foreman was an investigator for the Board. She saw Dr. Beverly as a patient on September 15, 1978. The receptionist turned her over to the nurse and she told the nurse she wanted a prescription for Ritalin. Dr. Beverly then saw the patient, who told the doctor that she was not sick, that she was working two jobs and wanted Ritalin “to help me stay up” and that she had had Ritalin before. Dr. Beverly placed her fingers on the patient’s throat and asked her to swallow and listened to either side of the chest. She said she would call the pharmacy. Dr. Dan then came in and the patient told him she was not having any trouble and wanted some Ritalin. He wrote a prescription for Elavil. On October 23, 1978, she returned to Dr. Dan and she told Dr. Dan that the Elavil slowed her down and she wanted some Ritalin and no discussion was had concerning an illness or injury or medical condition. The doctor wrote a prescription for Ritalin. On two other occasions following this, the same procedure was followed in that she reported to the receptionist, the nurse took her blood pressure and weighed her and the doctor wrote a prescription for Ritalin.

The cases against Beverly and Dan were consolidated by agreement. They are husband and wife and operate the Dotson Clinic.

By their first and second points of error the doctors assert error of the trial court in denying injunctive relief and in not setting aside the order of the Board because the fact findings were not reasonably supported by substantial evidence within the meaning of Sec. 19(e)(5) of the Administra-'^ [39]*39tive Procedure Act; and the order of the Board constituted an abuse of discretion, and are in excess of the Board’s statutory authority. These points are overruled. The findings of the Board are supported by substantial evidence.

The doctors assert the order of the Board should be set aside because the evidence* was obtained by entrapment. The only Texas case involving the defense of entrapment by the Board of Medical Examiners was before the court of criminal appeals' and the court denied the validity of the defense as a matter of law. Peery v. State, 138 Tex.Cr.R. 155, 134 S.W.2d 283 (Tex.Cr.App.1939).

Tex.Penal Code Ann. sec. 8.06 (1974) is as follows:

“(a) It is a defense to prosecution that the actor engaged in the conduct charged because he was induced to do so by a law enforcement agent using persuasion or other means likely to cause persons to commit the offense. Conduct merely affording a person an opportunity to commit an offense does not constitute entrapment.
“(b) In this section ‘law enforcement agent’ includes personnel of the state and local law enforcement agencies as well as of the United States and any person acting in accordance with instructions from such agents.”

This is a civil action brought by the Board. The Board has no authority to prosecute. The entrapment statute specifically provides for a, .defense to prosecution and that the conduct charge was induced to do so by law enforcement agents;. The investigators were not law enforcement agents as defined by the statute.

It follows that the defense of entrapment is not available to the doctors. This point is overruled.

The doctors allege error of the court in that they were not permitted to make a discovery of the material pertinent to the case and, therefore, there was not an impartial trial and they were therefore denied due process.

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Related

One 1984 Ford, VIN 1FABP43F7EZ116686 v. State
698 S.W.2d 279 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1985)
McInnis v. State
618 S.W.2d 389 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1981)
Dotson v. Texas State Board of Medical Examiners
612 S.W.2d 921 (Texas Supreme Court, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
607 S.W.2d 36, 1980 Tex. App. LEXIS 3978, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dotson-v-texas-state-board-of-medical-examiners-texapp-1980.