Spurgeon v. Rhodes

78 N.E. 228, 167 Ind. 1, 1906 Ind. LEXIS 1
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJune 19, 1906
DocketNo. 20,728
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 78 N.E. 228 (Spurgeon v. Rhodes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spurgeon v. Rhodes, 78 N.E. 228, 167 Ind. 1, 1906 Ind. LEXIS 1 (Ind. 1906).

Opinion

Monks, J.

It appears from the record that in 1899 appellee was duly licensed to practice medicine in Marion [3]*3county, Indiana, and since that time has been engaged in such practice. In June, 1905, a writing making specific charges of acts of gross immorality, verified by the affidavit of Eva Boykin, was presented to the State Board of Medical Registration and Examination under §7322 Burns 1901, Acts 1901, p. 475, §1, asking that his license be revoked therefor. Said board fixed a time and place for the hearing of said charges and gave appellee notice thereof as required by §7322, supra. Thereupon, before the time fixed for said hearing, appellee brought this suit to enjoin appellants, the members of said board, from proceeding to hear and determine charges of “gross immorality” which were then pending against him before said board, and from revoking his license to practice medicine. A temporary injunction was granted by the judge in vacation upon notice to appellants, and from such order this appeal was taken. It is insisted by appellants that the court erred in granting said temporary injunction.

Section 7319 Burns 1901, Acts 1899, p. 247, §1, authorizes the granting of a license to practice medicine upon a certificate issued by the State Board of Medical Registration and Examination. Section 7322, supra, provides that any such license may be revoked by said board, if the person holding the same is “guilty of a felony, or gross immorality, or is addicted to the. use of liquor or drug habit to such a degree as to render him unfit to practice medicine or surgery.” Said section provides further: “A specific written charge, verified by affidavit, must be presented to the board, making definite and specific charges of sucli facts against the holder of such license. The board shall thereupon fix a time and place for the hearing of such charges, at which the person charged may appear and defend against the same. A copy of such charges, together with a notice of the time and place fixed for the hearing, shall be served upon the person so charged at least twenty days before the time set for the hearing of the same. If, after such hearing, [4]*4the board revokes such certificate and license, snch order shall be by said board entered upon its record.” In case the board revokes the license an appeal may be taken to the circuit or superior court of the county in which said license was issued. On appeal the verified charges are treated as the complaint and “the accused may plead to said charges and issues may be formed thereon as in any civil case.”

The complaint averred that the individual appellants were members of and composed the State Board of Medical Registration and Examination; that in 1899 the appellee was duly licensed to practice medicine in Marion county, and has since that time been engaged in such practice, and that this right is of value to him and is a property right; that the. board has “conspired with one Eva Boykin fraudulently to ’ deprive” appellee of his license; that in pursuance of said conspiracy said board employed said Eva Boykin to visit him and to attempt to induce him to commit an abortion upon said Eva Boykin, and in furtherance of said conspiracy said board hired said Eva Boykin to file affidavits before it; that the appellee had been notified by the board of the filing of charges against him, charging him with gross immorality and for answering which he was required to appear before the board on August 16; that he was thus required to appear under and by virtue of authority, claimed to be conferred by an act regulating the practice of medicine as amended in 1901, which provided, that upon charges of gross immorality a license might be revoked by the board; that the charge against him as given—gross immorality—is a “fraudulent one,” made by said Boykin at the instigation of said board, and in furtherance of the conspiracy she filed said affidavit before said board, and charged him with unfitness to practice medicine in that he, believing the affiant to be pregnant, had agreed to perform an abortion upon her; that said Eva Boykin, the secret employe and co-conspirator of said board, acting for and on its behalf and in furtherance of said conspiracy, filed the at[5]*5tached fraudulent affidavit, charging this petitioner with gross immorality such as to unfit him for practice; “that it is the intention of said board to hear and determine said charges, and said board intends and will, as previously conspired, revoke the license of your petitioner unless restrained from so doing by this court;” that said board has “fraudulently conspired” with said Eva Boykin to deprive the appellee of his license,” in that said Eva Boykin was employed and paid by said board to visit certain physicians, among them the plaintiff, and then to make affidavit against them; that said Eva Boykin is outside of the State of Indiana and a fugitive from justice; that said board will not produce her at the hearing of the charges against the appellee; that said board will not allow the appellee to produce witnesses in his defense; that the attorneys for said board have announced that said board intend to revoke the appellee’s license, and that he will not be accorded the right to examine his accusers under oath; that the hearing of said charges will work great harm and injury to the appellee in his business and profession, and will injure his reputation, whether they are sustained or not, and wlieth^feaid license is revoked or not.” Wherefore he asks for a permanent injunction and temporary restraining order preventing said board from trying the appellee and from revoking his license.

The charges show that the appellee had offered to perform this abortion upon said Eva Boykin, believing her to be pregnant, for $10, $15 or $25, according to the character of the operation. This complaint was sworn to by the appellee, who states that the matters and facts therein contained are true “as he is informed and verily believes.” An affidavit of a person not a party to this proceeding was filed in support of said application for injunction, which stated that an attorney for appellants had said to affiant “that said Eva Boykin and a man whose name he had [6]*6agreed not to disclose were . gathering evidence against physicians, and that certain doctors, among them Doctor Rhodes (appellee), had been notified to appear before the board for trial, as they desired to make some examples in order to stop abortions; that Eva Boykin was a 'tool’ or 'stool pigeon,’ and had been employed by the board to gather evidence; said attorney further stated to said affiant that the board would not have said Eva Boykin at the trial of said Rhodes; that, in fact, the board would introduce no testimony in any of the cases then pending, other than the affidavits which were filed against the physician on trial.” This affidavit and the verified complaint were all the evidence given by the appellee at the hearing of said application.

The affidavits of five members of the board were read in evidence.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Lind v. Medical Licensing Bd. of Ind.
427 N.E.2d 671 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1981)
Smith v. Indiana State Board of Health
307 N.E.2d 294 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1974)
Muehlman v. Keilman
272 N.E.2d 591 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1971)
Galloway v. Truesdell
422 P.2d 237 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1967)
Kaplan v. State Ex Rel. Meyer's Plumbing, Inc.
164 N.E.2d 645 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1960)
Ortman-Miller MacHine Co. v. MILLER, ETC.
117 N.E.2d 558 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1954)
State of Oregon v. Buck
262 P.2d 495 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1953)
State Board of Medical Registration & Examination v. Scherer
46 N.E.2d 602 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1943)
Pierstorff v. Board of Embalmers & Funeral Directors
41 N.E.2d 889 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1941)
Webster v. Board of Dental Examiners
110 P.2d 992 (California Supreme Court, 1941)
Garford Trucking, Inc. v. Hoffman
177 A. 882 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1935)
Hastings v. Board of Commissioners
188 N.E. 207 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1933)
Hizer v. Hizer
169 N.E. 47 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1929)
Rixford Manufacturing Co. v. Town of Highgate
144 A. 680 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1929)
Greathouse v. Board of School Commissioners
151 N.E. 411 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1926)
Prater v. Storey
249 S.W. 871 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1923)
Lawrence v. Board of Registration in Medicine
239 Mass. 424 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1921)
State Board of Medical Examiners v. Harrison
159 P. 769 (Washington Supreme Court, 1916)
Indiana Board of Pharmacy v. Haag
111 N.E. 178 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1916)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
78 N.E. 228, 167 Ind. 1, 1906 Ind. LEXIS 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spurgeon-v-rhodes-ind-1906.