June 23, 2011

Settlement reached in veterinary medicine dispute

Editor's note: Litigation initiated nearly four months ago involving Iowa State University, a veterinary emergency and specialty care clinic and a competing clinic (both in Des Moines) concluded June 22 with the announcement of a settlement.

Below is a statement from Lisa Nolan, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Lee Holmes, CEO of ISU-Veterinary Services Corp.:

Iowa State University and Iowa State University Veterinary Services Corporation (ISU-VSC) are pleased to announce the resolution of litigation involving some former veterinarians and staff of Iowa Veterinary Specialties (IVS).

The suit arose after ISU and ISU-VSC purchased IVS, a specialty veterinary clinic in Des Moines. Some of the staff of IVS left and formed another specialty clinic under the name Iowa Veterinary Referral Center. ISU-VSC filed the suit alleging breach of non-compete agreements signed by the former veterinarians, and improper use of IVS proprietary information.

United States District Court Judge John Jarvey issued a preliminary ruling on April 27, 2011, upholding the validity of the non-compete agreements. Following the court ruling, the parties entered mediation with the assistance of the court. The parties have jointly reached a settlement that resolves all outstanding issues between the parties.

ISU and ISU-VSC regard the settlement to be in the best interests of all involved.

At ISU-VSC and ISU, we continue to focus on our missions of providing outstanding veterinary medical care, education and quality service to our referring veterinarians and other clients, patients and stakeholders.

Lisa K. Nolan, DVM, PhD
Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine
Iowa State University

Dr. Lee Holmes
Chief Executive Officer
ISU-Veterinary Services Corporation