Facts: Our client, NJ, hired us to defend her against two complaints filed with the Council by a former disgruntled employee and another state agency alleging she had violated minimum professional standards in her practice as a marriage and family therapist. The invalid complaints threatened to damage her professional reputation, ability to obtain future employment, potential disciplinary action from the Council and a negative impact on her livelihood. The disgruntled employee was mad at NJ for legitimate workplace action taken to protect clients and the employer and ultimately led to NJ being forced to terminate the toxic employee. After being terminated on legitimate grounds, the former employee filed a complaint with the Council and another state agency which also submitted a complaint. She made wild and unfounded allegations that NJ had ordered her to engage in unprofessional and unethical misconduct.
Outcome: Bertolino LLP evaluated the client’s case, and we gathered the documentation necessary to fight against the baseless complaints. We developed a well written response proving this was a disgruntled employee who had a grudge without any merit to her allegations. We advocated aggressively on the client’s behalf to demonstrate that the complaint had no legitimacy and needed to be dismissed. Ultimately the Board agreed to dismiss both of our client’s complaints with the Council in full and took no action against her license. This allowed her to return to the work she loves and kept her professional reputation and livelihood unblemished.
