Thoroughbred racehorse trainer Jeff Mullins, expected to begin a 70-day suspension June 1 in connection with a 2006 medication violation, has been granted an injunction against the order by a California Superior Court judge.

Judge Lisa Foster, in a brief hearing at the San Diego County central district courthouse May 26, issued the stay against the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). The agency ordered the 70-day suspension last month after a hearing officer had earlier found Mullins guilty of violating a probation agreement.

Mullins’ attorney James Maniscalco is expected to return to the San Diego court June 3 to establish a schedule for a hearing on the appeal of the CHRB case, according to Mullins spokesperson Kelly Wietsma. The state attorney general’s office is representing the CHRB.

Under the CHRB penalty, Mullins would have been forced to close down his barn operation at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.–where he has 25 horses and 16 employees–and vacate the premises for the duration of the suspension. Maniscalco argued that such a ban would have caused irreparable harm to his client’s livelihood