Veterinarian claims former employer filed licensing-board complaints against her
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An Iowa veterinarian is suing her former employer alleging the company is responsible for complaints filed against her with the state licensing board.
Shawna Greene of Warren County is suing Iowa Veterinary Specialties of Des Moines in Polk County District Court. Greene, a state-licensed veterinarian, was hired by IVS in February 2022 and awarded a two-year contract, according to her lawsuit.
In March 2022, the lawsuit claims, IVS instituted new guidelines that restricted Greene’s ability to conduct certain diagnostic procedures. The guidelines allegedly required Greene to refer animals to IVS’ internal medicine department as soon as she knew they were not afflicted with cancer and would not require any cancer-related treatments.
Greene alleges she sometimes failed to immediately refer animals to internal medicine due to her inability to quickly determine, without diagnostic testing, whether the animals had cancer. In March 2022, she alleges, she was placed on a performance improvement plan and, a few weeks later, was fired.
According to the lawsuit, two complaints against Greene were allegedly filed with the Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine. Both complaints were dismissed by the board, the lawsuit alleges, and it is “suspected that both complaints were submitted by IVS or one of its employees.”
In her lawsuit, Greene alleges there is “written documentation that IVS instructed a client to file a complaint against Greene.”
Greene is suing IVS for unspecified damages caused by an alleged breach of contract. The company has yet to file a response.
Currently, there are 2,716 active, licensed veterinarians in Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, which handles administrative duties for the board. In the past six years, the Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine has publicly sanctioned only four veterinarians.
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