Ketring v. Sturges

372 S.W.2d 104, 1963 Mo. LEXIS 629
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 11, 1963
Docket49924
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 372 S.W.2d 104 (Ketring v. Sturges) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ketring v. Sturges, 372 S.W.2d 104, 1963 Mo. LEXIS 629 (Mo. 1963).

Opinion

WELBORN, Commissioner.

This is an action for declaratory judgment respecting the validity of certain provisions of statutes regulating the practice of optometry in Missouri, 1 and rules promulgated by the Missouri State Board of Optometry.

Appellant Coliman H. Ketring is a licensed and registered optometrist tinder the Missouri law. He is also the president and a stockholder of the Mo-Ark Optical Company, a Missouri corporation. Appellant Hugh Williamson, an optician, who is neither a licensed optometrist nor a licensed physician or surgeon, is an employee of Mo-Ark.

On March 20, 1962, a letter signed- by Doctor Ketring as president of Mo-Ark, was circulated to Mo-Ark’s customers who included, but were not limited to, optometrists and physicians and surgeons. In the letter, Mo-Ark announced its intention to enter the contact lens field. The letter requested customers to send Mo-Ark their refraction findings. Mo-Ark then would supply the lenses and, according to. the letter, have Williamson insert the lenses in the patient’s eyes and fit them to the patient’s particular needs. The letter further stated that Williamson would make all modifications and adjustments in the lenses. It also stated that it would be helpful if measurements of the radius and proportions of the patient’s cornea were sent with refraction findings, but, if the customer preferred, Williamson could make such measurements for the patient.

On March 23, 1962, Mo-Ark published an advertisement in the Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic, as follows:

“MO — ARK OPTICAL COMPANY 403 South Broadway, Poplar Bluff
Offers You:
Complete visual care by a state registered optometrist.
Frames and lenses of the finest quality Single vision lenses $15.00
Eyeglass repairs at lowest prices. Reasonable terms.
MO-ARK OPTICAL COMPANY DR. C. Hi KETRING, O. D.
President
-Phone SU 5-6611”

In the advertisement, the words,,“Mo-Ark Optical Company” in the first line were *106 in print approximately twice the size of that in which Ketring’s name appeared.

On March 30, 1962, the Missouri State Board of Optometry addressed a letter, signed by its president, respondent Robert G. Sturges, to Doctor Ketring. In its letter, the board expressed the position that Williamson, not being a registered optometrist or registered apprentice, was not, unless he was a physician or surgeon, permitted to examine and measure eyes or to fit, modify, adjust or insert contact lenses in Missouri. The letter called attention to board rules 8, 13 and 14, as follows:

“8. Every registered optometrist or registered apprentice whose name or office address or place of practice appears or is mentioned in any advertisement of any kind or character shall be presumed to havé caused, allowed, permitted, approved and sanctioned such advertisement and shall be personally and professionally responsible for the content and character thereof until and unless he shall offer clear and convincing evidence that he did not cause, allow, permit, approve or sanction such advertisement.”
“13. It shall be deemed ‘dishonorable conduct in optometric practice’ for an optometrist to permit, allow or cause a person, who is not a registered optometrist or a licensed physician or surgeon, to use said optometrist’s prescription or optometric findings to fit contact lens upon a patient or member of the public.”
“14. It shall be deemed ‘dishonorable conduct in optometric practice’ for an optometrist to enter into an agreement or arrangement whereby he permits, allows or causes a person, who is not a registered optometrist or a licensed physician or surgeon, to do any one or any combination of the following acts upon a patient or member of the public:
(1)examine the eye to ascertain the presence of defects or abnormal conditions of the eye;
(2) take an impression mold of the eyeball;
(3) determine the corrective qualities to be incorporated in a contact lens; or
(4) adjust or fit a contact lens to the eye.”

The letter also called attention to Section 336.190(3), making the following act a misdemeanor:

“(3) Permitting any person in one’s employ, supervision or control to practice optometry, unless that person has a certificate of registration as a registered optometrist.”

The letter also, with reference to the newspaper advertisement, called attention to board rule 12, as follows:

“12. An optometrist shall be deemed to be advertising, practicing or attempting to practice under a name other than his own name if he permits, allows or causes any advertisement of eyeglasses or optometric services to be published that gives greater prominence in said advertisement to the name of a person, who is not a registered optometrist or physician or surgeon, than it gives to the individual name of the optometrist.”

The board also referred to Section 336.-110, subd. 1 (6) and (7), which authorized the board to suspend or revoke the certificate of registration of an optometrist for:

“(6) Advertising, practicing or attempting to practice under a name other than one’s own;
“(7) Advertising, directly or indirectly, prices or terms for optometric services.”
The letter concluded with this paragraph:
“You are therefore notified that if you and the Mo-Ark Optical Company put into operation said plan to enter the contact lens field in the manner outlined *107 in your said circular letter, or if you and said corporation again publish an advertisement substantially in the form of the one enclosed herewith, or if said Company does engage in ‘procuring’ business for a registered optometrist, this Board shall take, and cause to be taken, all appropriate legal actions against the Mo-Ark Optical Company, you and any other optometrist involved.”

On April 5, 1962, this action was instituted by appellants against the respondents, the individuals comprising the Missouri State Board of Optometry. Appellants sought a declaratory judgment that Sections 336.150 and 336.160 are unconstitutional because of their unlawful delegation of legislative power. They asked the court to declare rules 8, 12, 13 and 14 of the board invalid as beyond the scope of Chapter 336 and inconsistent therewith. In the alternative, they asked the court to declare that such rules and Sections 336.190 and 336.110, subd. 1(6), (7) and (8), are not applicable to and prohibitive of the proposed operation of the appellants.

The respondents, in their answer, asserted the validity of the statute and rules and their application to appellants’ proposed operation.

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Bluebook (online)
372 S.W.2d 104, 1963 Mo. LEXIS 629, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ketring-v-sturges-mo-1963.