Case library / Convictions, including the ones with nothing to do with therapy
Licensed since the 1980s, surrendered after one DUI
In short
Licensed since the 1980s, surrendered after one DUI?
License surrendered
$2,090Offense in April, conviction in June, license gone by February.
What happened
The licensee had held an LMFT license issued in the 1980s.
A single DUI offense in April 2025, conviction in June 2025.
Charged under §4982(a) with §490, under §4982(c), and under the general unprofessional conduct provision.
The license was surrendered eight months after the offense.
What it was charged as
Conviction of a substantially related crime.
Alcohol use.
The outcome
License surrendered.
$2,090ordered in cost recovery under B&P §125.3What the rule actually says
Forty years of clean practice is not a defense to §4982(a); it is a mitigating factor at the penalty stage. 16 CCR §1812 lists the number of years that have elapsed since the offense as a factor — not the years of practice before it.
Where insurance reaches, and where it does not
A therapist near the end of a career should be thinking about tail coverage rather than board defense, and the two are unrelated. If your policy is claims-made, retiring or surrendering without an extended reporting endorsement leaves you uncovered for anything reported afterwards. Occurrence policies do not have this problem, which is why they are worth the premium difference.
What would have changed it
- The choice between fighting and surrendering is an economic one at this stage of a career, and it should be made with a licensing attorney who can price both. Surrender ends the proceeding; it also usually forecloses reinstatement.
Source. This write-up is drawn from the signed public decision in the case number above. Names, cities and employers have been removed — why. To pull the original, open the Board's quarterly newsletter archive, find the issue covering February 12, 2026, and match the case number in the Formal Disciplinary Actions section. Not legal advice.
