United States Fifth Circuit

Corporation's Business Services Agreements with various orthodontists were correctly found to be void for illegality under the Texas Occupations Code because they enabled Appellant to practice dentistry without a license by owning, maintaining, or operating a place of business in which it engaged others in the practice of dentistry. The plain language of the Code unambiguously includes corporations in its definition of "person." (Revised opinion)

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/12/2008
• Published 12/16/2008

Judges

• GARWOOD, Circuit Judge:, Before GARWOOD, CLEMENT and ELROD, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fifth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• William C. Gambel (argued), Milling Benson Woodward, New Orleans, LA, for Crosby, Doan, Jordan, Jordan, Wells, Izzard, DDS and Izzard, PC., Robert John Clary (argued), William L. Foreman, Owens, Clary & Aiken, Dallas, TX, Warren Horn, Heller, Draper, Hayden, Patrick & Horn, New Orleans, LA, for OCA, Inc., Pedoalliance, Inc., Orthodontic Centers of Texas, Inc. and Orthoalliance, Inc., J. David Forsyth, Sessions, Fishman & Nathan, New Orleans, LA, Peter Charles Forbes (argued), Horowitz Forbes, LLP, Denver, CO, for Dillingham, PC, Dillingham, DDS and Austin Orthodontics Specialists., Michael H. Pinkerton, Bruce A. Cranner, David Phillip Curtis, Frilot, LLC, New Orleans, LA, for Buck, Buck Orthodontics Associates, PC, Cole and Bay Area Orthodontics, PC., Kell Corrigan Mercer (argued), Brown McCarroll, Austin, TX, for Hodgkins, DDS and Hodgkins, PC., R. Joseph Naus, Michael Allyn Stroud, Wiener, Weiss & Madison, Shreveport, LA, for Risinger, DDS and Risinger, DDS, PC., Sean Joseph McCaffity, Rochelle Hutcheson & McCullough, Plano, TX, for Packard and Packard Orthodontics, PA, Amici Curiae.