| Complaint: | Complaint 22-123 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | James Justice |
| Premises: | Diamond J Veterinary Services |
The complainant says Justice came to perform dental maintenance on her horses. It was their first meeting and he performed teeth floating on one horse while she ran back to the house to get vaccines. She left her friend to supervise, and when she came back Justice was holding another horse. She went over to tell him that the horse wasn't good about shots, at which point she alleges he yelled at her for not telling him before. Justice allegedly apologized and was able to inject the horse; her friend tells her that she did in fact tell them (either Justice or the assistant?) that the horse was afraid of shots. Her friend also said that Justice got upset and kicked the horse, causing the horse to back up.
Justice's response details the dental and noted that as he began to sedate the horse in question, it threw its head sideways and reared with his front feet up; instinctively he kicked in the horse's direction but notes that he made no contact. The complainant subsequently came up to tell him that the horse was shy about needles; he relates that he was rather terse but didn't yell, saying that most people would let him know beforehand. At their last meeting he says the complainant actually seemed okay about the entire matter. Later that day he received an emergency page and eventually found himself on the phone with the complainant's husband who was asking why he yelled at his wife. After confirming Justice's name, the husband said "if I ever see you in public we are gonna have trouble" and then hung up.
The Investigative Committee, somewhat understandably for once, found no violations in this case. They note that "these horses are dangerous" and people need forewarning with them.
| Source: | September 9, 2022 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| James Justice | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Gregg Maura | Absent |
| Justin McCormick | Aye |
| Steven Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | October 10, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Darren Wright |
| Seconded By: | Jim Loughead |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Melissa Thompson | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | 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.