Nabizadeh v. Physical Therapy Board of CA CA4/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 14, 2016
DocketD067005
StatusUnpublished

This text of Nabizadeh v. Physical Therapy Board of CA CA4/1 (Nabizadeh v. Physical Therapy Board of CA CA4/1) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nabizadeh v. Physical Therapy Board of CA CA4/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Filed 1/14/16 Nabizadeh v. Physical Therapy Board of CA CA4/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

ALI REZA NABIZADEH, D067005

Plaintiff and Appellant,

v. (Super. Ct. No. 37-2013-00080242-CU-WM-CTL) PHYSICAL THERAPY BOARD OF CALIFORNIA, DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS,

Defendant and Respondent.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Ronald S.

Prager, Judge. Affirmed.

Khouri Law Firm, Michael J. Khouri and Yelena Bakman for Plaintiff and

Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Gloria L. Castro, Assistant Attorney General,

Alexandra M. Alvarez and Lori Jean Forcucci, Deputy Attorneys General, for Defendant

and Respondent. Ali Reza Nabizadeh appeals a judgment denying his petition for writ of

administrative mandamus under Code of Civil Procedure section 1094.5 challenging a

decision of the Physical Therapy Board of California (Board) revoking his physical

therapy license. On appeal, he contends the trial court erred because (1) the evidence is

insufficient to support the court's findings, and (2) Board abused its discretion by

disciplining him by revoking his license. We affirm the judgment.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On June 25, 2010, Nabizadeh was arrested by Immigration and Customs

Enforcement (ICE) agents and Orange County narcotics officers in connection with a

controlled delivery of a postal package shipped from Canada containing about 1,900

MDMA, or Ecstasy, pills with a street value of about $60,000. He consented to a search

of his residence, forewarning officers they would find gamma-hydroxybutyric acid

(GHB) in his freezer. Officers found GHB in his freezer and also found amphetamines,

steroids, and other liquids and tablets in his residence for which he did not have current,

valid prescriptions.

On August 27, 2010, Nabizadeh signed an application for a physical therapy

license, stating, in part, he had never pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to any offense.

On November 29, Board issued a physical therapy license to him.

On December 9, a felony complaint was issued against Nabizadeh, charging him

with two felonies (i.e., possession for sale of MDMA/Ecstasy and possession for sale of

GHB). On October 4, 2011, after the complaint had been amended to add a charge of

2 misdemeanor accessory after the fact of possession of MDMA (Pen. Code, § 32),

Nabizadeh entered into a plea agreement pursuant to which he pleaded guilty to that

misdemeanor count; the two felony counts were dismissed. He was granted probation

and ordered to serve 90 days in local custody.

On October 5, 2012, Board filed an accusation against Nabizadeh, alleging six

causes for discipline: (1) conviction of a crime substantially related to the qualifications,

functions, or duties of a physical therapist; (2) violation of state statutes regulating

dangerous drugs or controlled substances; (3) falsely representing oneself as a doctor; (4)

commission of fraudulent, dishonest, or corrupt act or acts; (5) violation of a provision or

provisions of the Physical Therapy Practice Act; and (6) violation of a provision or

provisions of the Medical Practice Act. In October 2013, a two-day administrative

hearing was held before administrative law judge (ALJ) Roy Hewitt. The ALJ heard the

testimony of Scott Irwin, who in 2010 was a narcotics detective with the La Habra Police

Department, Nabizadeh, and three character witnesses for Nabizadeh.

Irwin testified he was contacted by ICE agents regarding their interception of a

postal package containing about 1,900 Ecstasy pills addressed to "Chad Julian," at a store

located in the City of Orange.1 He posed undercover as a customer at that store while an

undercover postal inspector delivered the package to Gabriel Rudd, the store's counter

clerk. Rudd said, "[T]hat must be for Chad," and signed for the package. La Habra

1 Irwin testified it is common for alias names to appear on contraband packages. Mark Kaelin, one of Nabizadeh's character witnesses, testified Nabizadeh told him the name Chad Julian was "made up."

3 Police Detective Torres identified himself to Rudd and told him he was being detained

for further investigation regarding the package. Rudd identified Nabizadeh as the

intended recipient of the package, stating Nabizadeh promised to pay him $200 to accept

delivery of it. At Torres's suggestion, Rudd called Nabizadeh and told him his package

had arrived and was waiting for him to pick it up as they had arranged. Within 15

minutes, Nabizadeh arrived at the store, picked up the package, walked outside, and was

arrested. On his arrest, Nabizadeh spontaneously stated, "Oh no, I screwed up, I'm a

doctor and I made a mistake." He subsequently spontaneously stated, "Sir, I'm a doctor

and I messed up, there are Ecstasy pills inside, I got caught, but I can't go to jail, I'll do

anything, I'm not a drug dealer."

Nabizadeh suggested, and the officers agreed, that he be questioned at his

apartment, a less public place, and he was read his Miranda2 rights there. At his

apartment, Nabizadeh told officers he had arranged with Rudd to have him to accept

delivery of a package (which Nabizadeh knew would contain Ecstasy pills from Canada)

with a fake name on it (i.e., "Chad Julian") at the store and to notify him immediately on

its delivery. In return, he would pay Rudd $200. He told Rudd there would be illegal

pills inside the package, but did not specify what type.

In addition to the 1,900 MDMA pills in the postal package, officers found GHB

and a bag containing about 2,000 pills. Laboratory testing showed those pills included

three methamphetamine tablets (indicated, but not confirmed), 400 oxymetholone tablets,

2 Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436.

4 394 methenolone tablets, 797 stanozolol tablets, and 400 placebo tablets. Officers also

found four syringes of liquid steroids, 10 bottles of somatropin, three bottles of

testosterone, a vial of Nandrodex (nandrolone phenpropionate), and six vials of Primodex

(methenoline enanthate and mestererlone), all of which were indicated, but not

confirmed.

Nabizadeh testified he received a call from Rudd, his friend, asking for a ride from

the store. When he arrived at the store, Rudd handed him a package and officers

immediately arrested him. Nabizadeh admitted he knew the package most likely

contained Ecstasy when he picked it up because he knew what Rudd and another friend

had done. Nabizadeh denied ordering the Ecstasy from Canada.

Following the hearing, the ALJ issued a proposed decision finding cause for

discipline of Nabizadeh on all six alleged causes. He found Nabizadeh's testimony was

not credible and he was not a truthful person. He also found: "The only reasonable

explanation that accounts for all of the facts underlying [his] conviction is that [he] was

the individual who arranged for the purchase and shipment of the [E]cstasy pills from

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