The 10-page lawsuit alleging racial discrimination was filed in the U.S. District Court in Colorado on May 16, 2022. It names the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB); its president, Dr. Carol Winkler; and its immediate past president, Dr. Karlos Boghosian. Dr. Boghosian is also the newly elected president of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE).
This is thought to be the first time that a chiropractic organization has faced a racial discrimination allegation. The suit alleges that:
"FCLB suspended Dr. [Keita] Vanterpool on March 5, 2022, for six months. This discrimination act was orchestrated and directed by Defendants Winkler and Boghosian for no legitimate reason and because Dr. Vanterpool is an African American female".
"Since serving as Treasurer, an elected officer, since 2019 FCLB leadership has targeted Dr. Vanterpool, including raising baseless complaints in detriment to her character and reputation and making attempts to usurp her authority and disrespect her in front of FCLB members. Dr. Vanterpool's suspension is a culmination of adverse actions taken by FCLB against Dr. Vanterpool in discrimination against her based on her race."
"In issuing Dr. Vanterpool's suspension, FCLB claimed that Dr. Vanterpool violated several FCLB 'policies' and engaged in activities 'inconsistent' with those expected of board members. However, FCLB failed to identify any such policies and failed to identify any such 'inconsistent' activities. Further FCLB failed to investigate any claims of misconduct on the part of Dr. Vanterpool as required by the Board's bylaws and policies. Likewise, FCLB could not cite the specific policy violations they alleged gave rise to the suspension. Instead, FCLB attempted to silence a political rival and discriminate against Dr. Vanterpool, who is the only African American officer in the Board's history, based on her race."
The lawsuit also alleges that as a result of her suspension, Dr. Vanterpool "is not allowed to acknowledge her role as Vice President of FCLB or Director of NBCE. In addition, she may not participate in any FCLB activities or as an appointee of the NBCE meetings... She is also precluded from attending, speaking, voting at the annual conference and annual meeting. Finally, FCLB has banned Dr. Vanterpool from discussing the suspension now or in the future and explained that a violation of any of the terms of her suspension could result in termination from FCLB."
| Dr. Keita Vanterpool is the first African American member of the FCLB board and its first African American officer. She has a long history of serving the profession in various capacities, including: | |
| • | District of Columbia Board of Chiropractic chair (2011-present) |
| • | FCLB alternate delegate / delegate (2010-2012) |
| • | FCLB district III alternate director (2013-2015) |
| • | FCLB district III director (2016-2018) |
| • | FCLB treasurer (2019-2021) |
| • | FCLB vice president (2021-present) |
| • | NBCE Test Committee (2010) |
| • | NBCE Credentials Committee (2013) |
| • | NBCE Standard Setting Committee (2014) |
| • | NBCE director (2021-2022) |
| • | American Chiropractic Association member (2011-present) |
| • | American Black Chiropractic Association lifetime member (2021-present) |
| • | International Chiropractors Association member (2019-present) |
| • | Women Chiropractors member (2021-present) |
| • | Council of Chiropractic Education (CCE) Diversity Committee (2021-present) and Standard Reviews Taskforce (2017-present) |
The lawsuit claims breach of contract (count one) in that the FCLB suspended Dr. Vanterpool even though it "failed to conduct any investigations or proffer any evidence or documentation to support these claims." It also claims that the FCLB, Dr. Winkler and Dr. Boghosian violated Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (count two) in "[suspending her] despite no credible claims of misconduct or policy violations and disciplining Dr. Vanterpool more harshly than her non-African American counterparts."
In addition, the lawsuit claims conspiracy to interfere with civil rights (count three) in that "Defendants Winkler and Boghosian entered into agreements to deprive Plaintiff of her civil rights by subjecting Plaintiff to disparate treatment in its disciplinary measures by suspending Plaintiff despite no credible claims of misconduct or policy violations and disciplining Dr. Vanterpool more harshly than her non-African American counterparts."
Dr. Vanterpool seeks injunctive relief, declaratory judgment, and repayment of her attorney's fees and additional costs.
Editor's Note: The complete 10-page lawsuit is available here, along with other documents as they become available.
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