| Complaint: | Complaint 19-21 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Jason Eberhardt |
| Premises: | Midwestern University |
| Related: | 19-19, 19-20, 19-22, 19-23 |
Note that this is a very complex situation and stretches across several related complaints. This pertains specifically to the complaint against Eberhardt.
The complainant tells us that after the actions leading to the death of their dog, the complainant and her daughter visited Midwestern and spoke with Eberhardt (Director of Midwestern's Companion Animal Clinic). She says that they spoke for almost an hour and that Eberhardt assured her that he would do everything he could to find answers for them. She asked if there were cameras that would have recorded the events and he allegedly replied that if there was footage it wouldn't have been kept that long. When she pointed out that it had only been two weeks he then stated that there were no cameras back there so there couldn't be any footage. He asked them to trust his school's high ethical standards. He showed them the door in what sounds like a rather creepy manner, suggesting not once but twice that they need to use the side door because he knows it "can be difficult" to go out the front. Two weeks later she received a call from the student and soon-to-be-doctor (Alexis Kersting?) who gave an apology and an accounting of events that did not appear to make much sense. Eberhardt then called and assured her they had done a full investigation but that all he could offer was an apology. The complainant says that she and her husband asked questions of Eberhardt, and his answers gave the impression that very little investigation had been performed. The complainant says that her impression was that the only person Eberhardt spoke with was Kersting because as Kersting's story had changed his did as well. When the complainant asked for Dean Graves' contact information he did not respond and said that Graves would get back to her. She sent Graves an email and was told that he would be out of the office for quite some time, handing the matter off to Assistant Dean Gartrell.
Barbara McCloud, Midwestern's attorney, has a general response for this complaint. It's the same one from 19-19. She notes that Eberhardt cannot sign his personal statement right now because he's in the hospital but that one will be forthcoming.
Eberhart's response notes that he's the Director of the Companion Animal Clinic. He states that the complainant's family came to speak with him about the death of their dog. He notes that the concerns included how a simple procedure took four hours, why they were not kept informed, and why the dog was in such bad shape after the event. He tells us that he had to think about the presence of cameras in that part of the hospital as he had never been asked that before. He says that after discussing the matter with Kersting she wanted to call personally to take responsibility for the matter. He states that when Kersting did call the complainant, Thomas was also on the call and relates that by the end of the call Kersting was shaking and in tears. He concludes by saying that there was nothing more he could do beyond the investigation he did and that they did nothing wrong. He also notes, similar to the other personal statements, that this was a very sick dog, and uses many of the exact same sentences. He also helpfully points out that at no time did he actually have any medical responsibility for the dog.
The Investigative Committee dismissed with no violation as Eberhardt never saw the dog. (Maybe Graves rather than Eberhardt was the responsible veterinarian for the premises so Eberhardt isn't relevant there either?)
If you'd like to learn more about Eberhardt you can go all the way back to his graduate thesis, "Immunomodulators in Feline Asthma," in which he caused asthma in research cats to compare treatments. He dedicated the thesis to Jesus Christ, without whom he would "be a lost soul forever."
Donald Noah's recused here because he was working for Midwestern University. See the writeup on 19-19 for details.
| Source: | December 12, 2018 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Barbara McCloud | Respondent Attorney |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Jason Eberhardt | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Christine Butkiewicz | Aye |
| Donald Noah | Recused |
| William Hamilton | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | January 1, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Barbara McCloud | Respondent Attorney |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Sarah Heinrich |
| Seconded By: | Christina Bertch-Mumaw |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Absent |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Recused |
| Sarah Heinrich | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
The primary source for the above summary was obtained as a public record from the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board. You are welcome to review the original records and board meeting minutes by clicking the relevant links. While we endeavor to provide an accurate summary of the complaint, response, investigative reports and board actions, we encourage you to review the primary sources and come to your own conclusions. In some cases we have also been able to reach out to individuals with knowledge of specific complaints, and where possible that information will be included here.