Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California
Unrequested Services by Vetrinarian
My equine vetrinarian performed $800+ worth of routing services on my three horses without my consent or prior knowledge. When I boarded my horses in a public stable the vet would come every three months during a "clinic" and administer vaccinations, etc. When I moved to a private facility a year and a half ago I made it clear that I wished to be present whenever she serviced my horses and that I would call her for an appointment when the horses needed services. She indicated that this should be every six months. Three times I have called the vet out and she has performed services. Last week however, I arrived at my barn to find a bill and some very groggy (over medicated in my opinion) horses. Although it had been six months since the last vaccinations, I was making other arrangements and was not goint to use a vet for their shots and such. Since she did not contact me prior to servicing the animals to find out what I wanted to do (or even if the horses had already been vaccinated) am I liable for this bill?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Unrequested Services by Vetrinarian
You have a contract with the vet like any other contract. Based on your information it appears that the work she did was unauthorized and she fully understood that she had to have prior authorization. Under these circumstances, provided you can prove that it was clear that she was not to perform any work without contact you --her actions were 'voluntary' and you are not legally obligated.
The over medication is another issue. If there is any injury to the horse(s) you might have a malpractice claim
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