On August 24, 1994, Alan Immerman, DC, was taken off the legislative committee of the Arizona Association of Chiropractic (AAC). On December 10, 1994, Dr. Immerman was removed from his elected position of second vice president of the AAC. According to the AAC constitution, more than 75% of the board of trustees needed to vote for his removal.
While disagreements are not uncommon within organizations, chiropractic or otherwise, being stripped of office is less common.
Dr. Immerman's response to being removed by the board was to file a lawsuit on August 4, 1995, not against the ACC Board as an entity, but to file individual suits against each one of the 15 chiropractors on the board.
Even more unusual, was Dr. Immerman also filing suit against the spouses of the board members, the complain reading:
"At all material times relevant hereto, the aforementioned defendant chiropractors were acting for and on behalf of the marital community."Dr. Immerman sued the AAC Board members and their spouses on three counts: breach of contract; bad faith; and specific performance. For each count, he sought punitive and specific damages.
The court found in favor of the AAC Board members and their spouses. When it did, the AAC Board members sought the award of attorney fees and expenses. The court granted this as well, stating:
"Plaintiff (Immerman) essentially forced defendants to incur substantial legal fees to litigate a claim that, although novel, possessed marginal, if any, merit. Furthermore, it does not appear that assessing attorney fees against the plaintiff would cause an extreme hardship. Finally, it is clear that, at least on this record, the defendants essentially prevailed with respect to all relief sought.Whether Dr. Immerman will appeal the award of attorney fees has yet to be determined. But the ultimate lesson here is found in an old proverb: "He who would pursue revenge should first dig two graves.""Therefore, the court has concluded that attorney fees in the amount of $11,000 should be awarded, as well as $1,452 in costs."
In this case, Dr. Immerman dug his metaphorical grave deeper than he had intended. The AAC's insurance company covered most of their defense costs, but Dr. Immerman is now required to pay over $12,000 of the AAC Board's legal expenses in addition to his own.
The lesson? The time and money could have been put towards more constructive ends, such as promoting chiropractic in Arizona: instead, the money has gone to enhance the legal profession. Fortunately, this type of behavior is occurring less frequently in the chiropractic profession.
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
