Erwin v. STATE, DEPT. OF P. & OR, ETC., BD OF DENTISTRY

320 So. 2d 2
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedOctober 8, 1975
Docket74-1494
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 320 So. 2d 2 (Erwin v. STATE, DEPT. OF P. & OR, ETC., BD OF DENTISTRY) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Erwin v. STATE, DEPT. OF P. & OR, ETC., BD OF DENTISTRY, 320 So. 2d 2 (Fla. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

320 So.2d 2 (1975)

Bert F. ERWIN, D.D.S., Petitioner,
v.
STATE of Florida, DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL REGULATION, DIVISION OF PROFESSIONS, FLORIDA STATE BOARD OF DENTISTRY, Respondent.

No. 74-1494.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District.

October 8, 1975.
Rehearings Denied October 30, 1975.

*3 Lucius M. Dyal, Jr., of Shackleford, Farrior, Stallings & Evans, Tampa, for petitioner.

Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, and James D. Whisenand and Donald D. Conn, Asst. Attys. Gen., Tallahassee, for respondent.

SCHEB, Judge.

Petitioner, Bert F. Erwin, D.D.S., seeks a writ of certiorari to quash an order of the State Board of Dentistry revoking his license to practice.

On October 30, 1974, the Board served petitioner with six counts of alleged violations of Fla. Stat., Ch. 466, accompanied by a notice of a hearing scheduled for November 30, 1974. Upon hearing the petitioner was found guilty of charges 2(a) (habitually coming to his office in an intoxicated condition thus rendering him unfit for the practice of dentistry) and 2(b) (allowing a dental auxiliary to practice dentistry without supervision). The remaining four accusations were dismissed. The Board issued a final order on December 9, 1974, revoking petitioner's license.

On appeal petitioner raises three points:

(1) Whether the alleged vagueness of charges and inadequate time to prepare his defense constituted a denial of due process of law;
(2) Whether there was substantial competent evidence to support the Board's findings on charges 2(a) and 2(b); and,
(3) Whether, under the circumstances, the penalty of revocation constituted a gross abuse of the Board's discretion.

We hold the petitioner was afforded due process of law and there was competent substantial evidence to support the findings of the Board; but, we grant certiorari and remand the cause for further consideration by the Board as to the penalty imposed.

We examine and discuss, in sequence, the points raised by appellant.

I. Whether petitioner was denied due process of law.

Petitioner was furnished a 30-day notice of charges against him as required by Fla. Stat. § 466.25(1). The length of notice comports with administrative due process of law. See State ex rel. Munch v. Davis, 1940, 143 Fla. 236, 196 So. 491, which upheld, against a charge of denial of due process, a statutory requirement of at least 10 days notice on charges against a physician which subjected his license to revocation. While recognizing a 30-day notice ordinarily may be adequate, petitioner contends it was inadequate here since the accusations in paragraph 2(a) failed to allege specific times and occasions of intoxication and the charges in paragraph 2(b) did not state the acts of unlawful dentistry with particularity. Further, although petitioner did receive a copy of the Board's investigation file, he complains of not having been furnished with various witnesses' statements, complaint letters, *4 and answers to interrogatories until seven days prior to the hearing. Realistically, it is difficult to find any merit in the petitioner's contention for three reasons:

(1) The accusations against petitioner were reasonably detailed.[1]
(2) The key witness as to the charge of allowing unlawful practice of dentistry, Janet Horne Elliott, was named in the accusation; however, petitioner made no application to depose her as permitted under Fla. Stat. § 120.25.
(3) Petitioner made no request, at the conclusion of the hearing, to present any further witnesses or offer any additional evidence.

In Hickey v. Wells, Fla. 1956, 91 So.2d 206, the Supreme Court held that administrative due process before the Board of Dental Examiners requires specific accusations or procedures for disclosure, but does not require both. Due process of law in an administrative proceeding is a flexible concept, and sub judice that concept was fairly adapted to these proceedings. See Cafeteria Workers v. McElroy, 1961, 367 U.S. 886, 81 S.Ct. 1743, 6 L.Ed.2d 1230.

The Florida Legislature recently enacted a revised Administrative Procedure Act. Chapter 74-310, as amended by Ch. 75-191. The Act represents a further legislative codification of standards designed to afford due process in administrative proceedings. We note that Fla. Stat. § 120.57 as amended, while not effective at the time of the hearing sub judice provides "... for a hearing after reasonable notice of not less than 14 days... ."

II. Whether there was substantial competent evidence to support the Board's findings.

As to the charges in paragraph 2(a) concerning habitually coming to the office in an intoxicated condition:

Dorothy Scheppe, a dental hygienist with petitioner's office from June 1971 to June 1973, testified that because of his drinking habits, the petitioner was unable to work from one-third to one-half of the time; that on at least three occasions she saw him come to the office while intoxicated. She described the petitioner as having exhibited the common characteristics of intoxication on these occasions; i.e., staggering, blood-shot eyes, slurring of speech, and flushed complexion. Rose Marie Guziolek, employed as a dental assistant from August 1971 to June 1972, testified that on at least two Mondays per month the petitioner came in with liquor on his breath and with a flushed face. Majorie K. Samulski, a dental assistant for petitioner from December 1972 to June 1973, who defined intoxication as a condition where one has consumed liquor to the point of affecting his behavior, testified petitioner would come in six or eight times a month in an intoxicated condition and would then work on patients. Still another assistant, Janet Horne Elliott, employed from August 1973 to April 1974, confirmed *5 that when the petitioner would call in, his voice would frequently be slurred. Finally, June V. Sawyer, a receptionist, employed from August 1973 to August 1974, testified that every five or six weeks the petitioner would call and in a slurred voice would cancel his appointments.

Petitioner testified that he did not come to the office to see patients when he was intoxicated. Several satisfied patients, the dentist next door, a dental technician, and his present receptionist testified they never saw him come to the office intoxicated. Likewise, a currently employed dental hygienist who is presently engaged to petitioner, and the petitioner's son testified the petitioner never came into the office intoxicated.

All witnesses were heard and observed by a Board composed of petitioner's professional peers. While there were some conflicts in the testimony, it was for that Board and not this court to judge the credibility of the witnesses and the weight of the evidence. The test on certiorari is whether there was competent substantial evidence before the Board to sustain its findings.

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