Opinion ID: 172871
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The Board's October 23, 2006 Decision

Text: The Board's October 23, 2006 decision was the culmination of all of the hospital's prior actions discussed supra, including the charges of disruptive conduct, charting and billing practice errors, inappropriate care and mistreatment of several patients, and the Credential Committee's recommendation to deny Dr. Couch's reappointment to the medical staff. The Board's decision, which was made after receiving recommendations from a three-person independent panel, reappointed Dr. Couch to the medical staff but nonetheless mandated several conditions for Dr. Couch's future employment that arguably might have constituted adverse employment action. [24] However, even here, the fact that these actions all are well grounded on factors unrelated to Dr. Couch's alleged protected speech undercut the claim that, under these circumstances, this action would reasonably deter protected speech. Nonetheless, Dr. Couch has again failed to establish that his speech might have been a substantial motivating factor for the Board's action. The Board's decision was reached after retaining and reviewing the report of an independent panel of reviewers, who heard four days of evidence. This independent, unbiased investigation of Dr. Couch's conduct removes any taint of bias that otherwise could have existed. Cf. E.E.O.C. v. BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Los Angeles, 450 F.3d 476, 485 (10th Cir. 2006) (decisionmaker's use of an independent investigation can remove taint from subordinate's bias). Dr. Couch has failed to produce evidence that the Board had an improper motive; while Dr. Couch has produced evidence of a policy disagreement, the fact that the Board rejected Dr. Couch's random testing proposal almost four years prior, without more, is insufficient evidence of bias. Dr. Couch has failed to offer that something more, and his claims of retaliation consequently fail.