Case Name: Bobby Edward ARRINGTON v. LOUISIANA STATE RACING COMMISSION
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1986-01-15
Citations: 482 So. 2d 200
Docket Number: No. CA-2658
Parties: Bobby Edward ARRINGTON v. LOUISIANA STATE RACING COMMISSION.
Judges: Before SCHOTT, BARRY, BYRNES, LOBRANO and WARD, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 482
Pages: 200–203

Head Matter:
Bobby Edward ARRINGTON v. LOUISIANA STATE RACING COMMISSION.
No. CA-2658.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.
Jan. 15, 1986.
William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Robert A. Barnett, John E. Jackson, Jr., Asst. At- tys. Gen., New Orleans, for defendant-ap-pellee, Louisiana State Racing Com’n.
Salvador Anzelmo, Thomas W. Milliner, New Orleans, for plaintiff-appellant, Bobby Edward Arrington.
Before SCHOTT, BARRY, BYRNES, LOBRANO and WARD, JJ.

Opinion:
WARD, Judge.
On March 3, 1983 a race horse belonging to Bobby Arrington, a Louisiana licensed owner and trainer of quarter-horses, finished second and shared part of the purse in the fifth race at Evangeline Downs. A post-race analysis of the horse's urine sample indicated the presence of methamphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant prohibited by the Louisiana Rules of Racing, L.A.C. 11-6:53.14. At Arrington's request, a split sample of the urine was later analyzed and proved positive for methamphetamine. Before the results of the split sample test were known, the Board of Stewards of Evangeline Downs issued a rule suspending Arrington's racing privileges. Arrington appealed the Stewards' rule to the Louisiana State Racing Commission which suspended Arrington's owner and trainer license for eighteen months and imposed a five-hundred dollar fine. The ruling of the Commission was affirmed by Orleans Parish Civil District Court, but upon Arrington's Motion for a New Trial, it remanded the case to the Commission for the purpose of hearing evidence on the results of the split sample test. After the rehearing, the Commission affirmed its original ruling but reduced Arrington's suspension from eighteen to twelve months. The Commission relied upon the absolute insurer rule of the Rules of Racing and the Louisiana Statutes. L.A.C. 11-6:53.18 and La.R.S. 4:150(A). That rule makes the trainer responsible for the condition of his horse, whether or not the act of doping a horse was the act of another and whether or not the trainer was negligent. This ruling was affirmed by the District Court.
Arrington now appeals, raising three issues which all amount to the same argument: the absolute insurer rule violates the Due Process Clauses of the Louisiana and United States Constitutions by creating an irrebuttable presumption.
This same argument was rejected in Owens v. Louisiana State Racing Commission, 466 So.2d 764 (La.App. 4th Cir. 1985). The holding of Owens, which involved strikingly similar facts, controls the disposition of this appeal. The absolute insurer rule which makes the trainer responsible for the condition of his horses does not violate Due Process because the rule is reasonably related to the government interests sought to be advanced by the rule — to insure fair, safe races, to protect the wagering public and to preserve the public's confidence in the integrity of the racing industry. See La.R.S. 4:141; Louisiana Rules of Racing, Preface and Forward (1983).
We agree with Owens; the strong public interest justifies close regulation of horse racing, an industry especially susceptible to fraud and corruption. Furthermore, strict regulation of the trainer by making him an absolute insurer is reasonable because the trainer is the person best able to guarantee the condition of the horses. See Berry v. Michigan Racing Commission, 116 Mich. App. 164, 321 N.W.2d 880 (1982), appeal dismissed, — U.S. -, 105 S.Ct. 64, 83 L.Ed.2d 15 (1984). "The insurer rule provides maximum protection against illegal drugging; arguably it is the only practical means of reducing such corrupt practices.... The insurer rule is a reasonable alternative to either leaving [the public and State] interests unprotected or forbidding legalized racing." (citations omitted) Id., 321 N.W.2d at 884.
Furthermore, hearings and rulings of the Racing Commission are not to be equated with criminal trials. The Commission is governed by the Administrative Procedure Act and functions as a civil administrative body, not as a Trial Court in a criminal case. La.R.S. 4:154; Pullin v. Louisiana State Racing Commission, 477 So.2d 683 (La.1985). One appearing before the Commission is not entitled to every constitutional right afforded defendants in criminal trials. Hence, it is not necessary to show either knowledge or intent, or even negligence of the trainer.
Moreover, a trainer voluntarily applies for a license, and upon approval by the Commission, he subjects himself to certain terms and conditions such as the absolute insurer rule which might be inappropriate in other situations. Id. at 686-87. The relationship between the Commission and trainers, owners, jockeys and others is analogous to a contractual commitment with each party agreeing not to race a horse that has been stimulated by drugs, no matter who administers the drugs. La. R.S. 4:150(A) and (B). If a horse races when stimulated by drugs, the responsible party has breached his commitment, both to others in the sport and to the public that horse racing will be fair, safe and deserving of public confidence.
AFFIRMED.
BARRY, J., dissents with reasons.
BYRNES, J., joins with Justice BARRY's dissent.