In re the Revocation of the License to Practice Dentistry of Stoute

347 P.2d 1068, 55 Wash. 2d 377, 1960 Wash. LEXIS 508
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 7, 1960
DocketNo. 35055
StatusPublished

This text of 347 P.2d 1068 (In re the Revocation of the License to Practice Dentistry of Stoute) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Revocation of the License to Practice Dentistry of Stoute, 347 P.2d 1068, 55 Wash. 2d 377, 1960 Wash. LEXIS 508 (Wash. 1960).

Opinion

Ott, J.

On or about May 10, 1956, a complaint was filed with the director of licenses for the revocation of the license to practice dentistry of Dr. Edward P. Stoute. The complaint specified two charges as follows:

“(1) From on or about the 14th day of January, 1954, to the present, the said Dr. Edward P. Stoute was employed by and did aid, abet and assist, and did have a professional association and connection with one Mrs. Constance Conway in the operation of a dental office owned by the said Mrs. Constance Conway located at 516 Burwell street, in the city of Bremerton, Kitsap county, Washington, the said Mrs. Constance Conway not being licensed to practice dentistry in the state of Washington.
[379]*379“ (2) That the said Dr. Edward P. Stoute did aid and assist one Ray Lemon, a person not licensed to practice dentistry in the state of Washington, on or about December 6 and 7,1955, to perform an operation on one L. C. Peterson.”

A trial committee was appointed, and notice of the hearing given. At the hearing, the state was represented by an assistant attorney general. Dr. Stoute appeared in person and with counsel.

The trial committee found that both charges had been sustained by the evidence, and ordered Dr. Stoute’s license to practice dentistry revoked. Dr. Stoute appealed to the superior court upon the record of the evidence before the committee, as provided by statute. The court affirmed the order of revocation, and this appeal followed.

Appellant concedes that “the jurisdiction and function of the Superior Court [and of this court] was [sic] limited to determining whether or not the action of the administrative agency was arbitrary, capricious, or contrary to law.” In re Harmon, 52 Wn. (2d) 118, 323 P. (2d) 653 (1958); Household Finance Corp. v. State, 40 Wn. (2d) 451, 244 P. (2d) 260 (1952).

With reference to the first charge, appellant contends that the findings were contrary to law.

RCW 18.32.020 (prior to the 1957 amendment) provided:

“A person practices dentistry, within the meaning of this chapter, . . . who owns, maintains or operates an office for the practice of dentistry, ...”

RCW 18.32.230 provides in part as follows:

“The director may refuse to issue the license provided for in this chapter, and any license now in force . . . may be revoked or suspended, . . . when the licensee if [is] found guilty of any of the following acts or offenses: . . .
“ (7) Professional connection or association with, or lending his name to another for the illegal practice of dentistry by another, or professional connection or association with any person, firm, or corporation holding himself, themselves, or itself out in any manner contrary to this chapter.”

The charge was that Dr. Stoute “did have a professional association and connection with one Mrs. Constance Conway in the operation of a dental office owned by the said [380]*380Mrs. Constance Conway . . . the said Mrs. Constance Conway not being licensed to practice dentistry in the state of Washington.” In order to sustain the charge, it was essential for the state to prove that Mrs. Constance Conway did own and operate the dental office. The name of the office was Dr. Clark Dental Clinic. Neither Mrs. Constance Conway nor Dr. Clark was called as a witness. Two of the state’s own witnesses stated that they believed Dr. Clark owned and operated the clinic. The evidence established that, in the years 1954, 1955, and 1956, Mrs. Conway received substantial sums of money from the clinic. These payments to Mrs. Conway were authorized by Dr. Clark. The bookkeeper testified that she believed them to be made in accordance with a contract of sale of the dental office, which Dr. Clark was buying from Mrs. Conway.

To establish that Mrs. Conway owned the clinic, the state was permitted to introduce into evidence, over objection, a statement dated November 2, 1953 (exhibit No. 3), purportedly signed by Mrs. Conway, which read in part as follows:

“I, the undersigned, Constance Conway, do hereby certify that I am the sole owner of and the only one interested in the business conducted under the name of Dr. Clark Dental Clinic ...”

The statement was identified by an officer of the clinic’s depository bank as a part of its file relating to the clinic’s account. The statement was inadmissible for two reasons: (1) Dr. Stoute commenced his association with the clinic January 14, 1954. The statement of ownership on November 3, 1953, was not relevant to establish ownership on January 14, 1954, in the absence of further evidence of continuous ownership. (2) The statement did not qualify under the business records exception to the hearsay rule because it was not made by an officer or employee of the bank and, therefore, was not a bank record.

The remaining evidence submitted to the committee, which was substantially as indicated above, failed to establish the elements of the first charge; hence, the committee’s [381]*381findings and conclusions in this regard were contrary to law.

As to the second charge, RCW 18.32.230, supra, further provides that any license may be revoked or suspended when the licensee is found guilty of “(5) Employing, procuring, inducing, aiding or abetting a person not licensed or registered as a dentist to engage in the practice of dentistry .

The evidence disclosed, inter alia, that Ray Lemon was employed as a laboratory technician at the Dr. Clark Dental Clinic and was not licensed to practice dentistry.

There was a sharp conflict in the testimony offered by the state and that of Dr. Stoute. The state’s witness, Neis C. Peterson, a patient of the clinic, testified that, on or about December 6, 1955, he called at the Dr. Clark Dental Clinic for dental service; that he was taken by the receptionist to a booth; that “Dr.” Lemon extracted a tooth from his mouth; that he was assisted in the operation by Dr. Stoute; that he returned to the clinic about two days later and was again taken to the booth; that “Dr.” Lemon administered the anesthetic; that “Dr.” Lemon, acting alone, “had trouble pulling the tooth”; that Dr. Stoute came in, and that “one had hold of the tooth while the other cut it loose.”

Dr. Stoute, on the other hand, testified that he performed all of the professional dental service for patient Peterson on both days, and that Mr. Lemon, known to him to be the clinic’s laboratory technician, did nothing more to assist him than would normally have been done by a nurse.

The committee determined the facts to be as follows:

“That the said Dr. Edward P. Stoute did on or about the 6th day of December, 1955, aid and assist one Ray Lemon, a person not licensed to practice dentistry in the state of Washington, to extract a tooth for one L. C. Peterson, and again on or about the 8th day of December, 1955, did perform another operation, extracting a tooth of one L. C. Peterson, said Dr. Edward P.

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Related

Household Finance Corp. v. State
244 P.2d 260 (Washington Supreme Court, 1952)
In Re Harmon
323 P.2d 653 (Washington Supreme Court, 1958)

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Bluebook (online)
347 P.2d 1068, 55 Wash. 2d 377, 1960 Wash. LEXIS 508, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-revocation-of-the-license-to-practice-dentistry-of-stoute-wash-1960.