A veterinarian is suing the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (TBVME) on grounds that the board violated his first amendment right to free speech when it revoked his license thus preventing him from providing remote veterinary services vial telephone and the internet.

Conor Beck, communications project manager for the Institute for Justice (IJ), said Ron Hines, DVM, PhD, offered free veterinary advice via a website, email and occasionally over the telephone, from 2002 to 2012. Then, in 2013, the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners suspended Hines’ license, fined him, and required him to retake portions of the veterinary licensing exam on grounds that his remote activities violate state law.

“Section 801.351, Texas Occupations Code, requires an in-person examination of the animal or appropriate visits to the premises on which the animal is kept to establish a veterinarian-client-patient relationship,” said Michelle Griffin, general counsel for the TBVME