As a massive public agency with 320,000 licensed agents in California, the Department of Insurance (DOI of CDI) has an extensive infrastructure for the investigation and discipline of insurance producers. As is often true of financial industry regulators, there are marked trends in investigations and discipline in certain areas of public concern.
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Medical Board of California Petitions for Penalty Relief
Physicians who have lost their Medical Board license or find themselves on probation are often legally entitled to petition for license reinstatement or relief from license probation, under Business and Professions Code section 2307. This process is accessible to unrepresented parties through a petition, with instructions, available online. It is preferable, however, to hire an experienced licensing and…
California Travel Nurse Reprimanded Even After BRN Demanded Probation for Out of State Discipline; Costs Reduced by 90%
Nurses from other states sometimes take travel assignments at facilities across California, especially since the demand for nurses has risen sharply due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the California Board of Registered Nursing retains the ability to discipline the California BRN license for nurses even when they are disciplined for conduct outside of California against the nursing license in their…
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist License Saved Despite DUIs in 2019 and 2020
Alcohol related convictions are among the most serious violations a medical professional can commit, because they call into question both the judgment of the licensee and the safety of patients, in the judgment of California state agencies such as the Medical Board of California, the Board of Registered Nursing, and the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Licensees who commit even one…
Real Estate Salesperson’s License Issued to DRE Licensee after Three Criminal Convictions
The Department of Real Estate accused a licensee of fraud, dishonest dealing, and dishonesty after the client failed to report a 2019 conviction for a misdemeanor violation of a Labor Code statute. The licensee had also been convicted of crimes twice before. Alleging a pattern of dishonest behavior, the DRE refused to offer the client a settlement and took the…
LVN Probationary License Saved After Cocaine Ingestion
The Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, like all state healing arts agencies such as the Board of Registered Nursing and the Medical Board of California, takes the requirements of its probation program very seriously. In 2021, we were able to represent an LVN who tested positive for cocaine while under the supervision of the LVN’s probation program. The…
Restricted DRE Salesperson’s License Granted After Hearing: Accusation Against Real Estate Salesperson for DUIs, Failure to Report Convictions
Our office represented a licensee in 2020 who had earned a license only two years prior, in 2018. Unfortunately, this client was arrested for DUI just a few months after earning the license, and ultimately pled guilty in 2019. Having only been licensed for a year at the time of conviction, the client did not realize his reporting duty to…
Restricted Department of Insurance Property and Casualty Broker-Agent License Granted After Hearing: Previous License Application Denied Following Identity Theft, Receiving Stolen Property, Misstatement on Application
Our firm represented an applicant to the California Department of Insurance who had applied for a Property and Casualty Broker-Agent License for the second time, after previously being denied in 2017. The applicant had three convictions: two for receiving stolen property, and one for unauthorized use of identity, between 2010 and 2012. The 2017 application contained a false statement regarding…
Registered Nurse License Accusation Dismissed after Board Refused to Offer Public Reprimand
The Board of Registered Nursing accused our client of gross negligence and incompetence in the practice of nursing following alleged failure to obtain or document a specific reading with respect to a patient under her care. To resolve the case, our client was willing to enter into a public letter of reproval, but the Board refused and insisted upon a…
The Impact of Criminal Convictions Post-AB 2138
On September 30, 2018, the Governor signed Assembly Bill 2138, which primarily helps many license applicants with criminal records get professional licenses. AB 2138 took effect on July 1, 2020.
After the change in the law, a plea of guilty or a verdict of guilty can only be used against a licensee or license applicant as a conviction once…