| Complaint: | Complaint 21-131 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Katherine Heuerman |
| Premises: | PALS Crematory |
| Related: | 21-20 |
This complaint came from the Board as part of the investigation into 21-20. You may remember that case as one where a dog was taken away for cremation and ended up being replaced by someone else's cat. The complaint pertained both to the switching of the corpses (potentially by the veterinarian) as well as the crematory not noticing that he kept talking about a dog but the body in the freezer was that of a cat.
The complainant's response mainly takes the form of a letter from her lawyer, Andrew Plattner, of Sherman and Howard. Plattner's case can be summed up in his own words: "The question in front of this Board is: Who is the responsibility [sic] party to ensuring the deceased, when placed in a body bag, is properly labeled? The answer is: the veterinarian/veterinarian practice." The rest of the letter goes on to explain why he argues that it's the fault of the veterinarian (Collins) rather than anything to do with the crematory; the bodies were mistagged and that's that. There's not any discussion of why the crematory never clued in on the complainant asking to view a private cremation for a dog when the body they had in the freezer was a cat. Plattner also says that Collins admitted in prior testimony to the Board that she was culpable for the mistake and changed her story on the advice of her attorney. Plattner also says that PALS (and Heuerman) shouldn't even have to show up for an informal interview with the Board, but they'll do so if they have to.
Plattner also provides a one-paragraph signed statement from Taylor Brown, the operations manager at PALS Crematory. She says that Collins repeatedly said that the mistake was Collins' fault and not the crematory's. She also says that Collins told her that in the end the mislabeling was not the fault of the crematory or the veterinarinan. Collins allegedly blamed the complainant and his spouse for the problem, saying if they hadn't been "so crazy" and followed her out to the car she wouldn't have mislabeled the dead animals.
There's also a statement from a PALS field representative (Matt Nielsen) that was cosigned by a Daniel Heuerman; perhaps the pet crematory business tends to run in families like the vet business?
| Source: | June 6, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Andrew Plattner | Respondent Attorney |
| Daniel Heuerman | Respondent |
| Katherine Heuerman | Respondent |
| Proposed By: | Jane Soloman |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | Absent |
| 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.