1.    Upon the filing of a written and signed complaint that alleges that a licensee practicing in this state has engaged in conduct identified as grounds for disciplinary action under this chapter, and which sets forth information upon which a reasonable and prudent person might believe that further inquiry should be made, the board shall cause the matter to be investigated.

Terms Used In North Dakota Code 43-57-09

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute means the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • Individual: means a human being. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • Person: means an individual, organization, government, political subdivision, or government agency or instrumentality. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • written: include "typewriting" and "typewritten" and "printing" and "printed" except in the case of signatures and when the words are used by way of contrast to typewriting and printing. See North Dakota Code 1-01-37

2.    The board may investigate a complaint on the board’s own motion, without requiring the identity of the complainant to be made a matter of public record, if the board concludes that good cause exists for preserving the anonymity of the complainant.

3.    If the investigation reveals no grounds to support the complaint, the board, three years following the date on which the complaint was filed, shall expunge the complaint from the licensee’s individual record in the board’s office.

4.    If the investigation reveals grounds to support the complaint, the board shall initiate a disciplinary action by serving upon the licensee a notice of disciplinary action setting forth the allegations upon which the action is based, as well as a specification of the issues to be considered and determined.

5.    If a written response contesting the allegations is not received by the board within twenty days of the date that the notice of disciplinary action was received or refused, the allegations may be deemed admitted and disciplinary sanctions deemed appropriate by the board must be imposed.

6.    The board may at any time enter an informal resolution to resolve the complaint or disciplinary action.

7.    An appeal from the board’s final decision may be taken in accordance with chapter 28-32.