§791. Protected action and communication

A. There shall be no liability on the part of and no action for damages against:

(1) Any member of the board, or its agents or employees, or any member of an examining committee of dentists appointed or designated by the board, for any action undertaken or performed by such person within the scope of the duties, powers, and functions of the board or such examining committee as provided for in this Chapter when such person is acting without malice and in the reasonable belief that the action taken by him is warranted; or

(2) Any person providing information to the board, its agents or employees, or to an examining committee of dentists appointed or designated by the board, whether a witness, participating in an impaired dentist or dental hygienist intervention (the act of interceding in behalf of an individual who is abusing, or is dependent on, one or more psychoactive drugs, with the aim of overcoming denial, interrupting drug-taking behavior, or inducing the individual to seek and initiate treatment), or otherwise. Such a person shall not be held liable in damages under any law of the state of Louisiana or any political subdivision thereof, by reason of having provided such information, unless such information is false and the person providing it knew that such information was false.

(3) Any nonprofit corporation, foundation, or organization that enters into any agreement with the board related to the operation of any committee or program to identify, investigate, counsel, monitor, or assist any licensed dentist who suffers or may suffer from alcohol or substance abuse or a physical or mental condition which could compromise such dentist's fitness and ability to practice dentistry with reasonable skill and safety to patients, for any investigation, action, report, recommendation, decision, or opinion undertaken, performed, or made in connection with or on behalf of such committee or program, without malice and in the reasonable belief that such investigation, action, report, recommendation, decision, or opinion was warranted.

(4) Any person who serves as a director, trustee, officer, employee, consultant, or attorney for or who otherwise works for or is associated with any nonprofit corporation, foundation, or organization as described in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection.

B. In any suit brought against any individual or entity described in Subsection A of this Section, when that individual or entity substantially prevails in such suit, the court shall, at the conclusion of the action, award to the individual or entity described in Subsection A of this Section and assess against the claimant the cost of defending the suit attributable to such claim, including reasonable attorney fees, if the claim, or the claimant's conduct during the litigation of the claim, was either frivolous, unreasonable, without foundation, or in bad faith. For the purpose of this Subsection, the individual or entity described in Subsection A of this Section shall not be considered to have substantially prevailed when the claimant obtains an award for damages or permanent injunctive or declaratory relief.

Added by Acts 1977, No. 325, §4. Acts 1991, No. 492, §1, eff. July 15, 1991; Acts 2003, No. 303, §1; Acts 2012, No. 407, §1; Acts 2013, No. 220, §15, eff. June 11, 2013.