Pirouzian
Pirouzian v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Opinion
Opinion
Rothschild, J.
The Medical Board of California (the Board) revoked Amir Pirouzian, M.D.’s medical license. Dr. Pirouzian filed a petition in the superior court for a writ of administrative mandamus to set aside the Board’s decision, which the trial court denied. Dr. Pirouzian then filed a petition for writ of mandate in this court. We requested opposition and notified the parties of our intention to issue a peremptory writ. (See Palma v. U.S. Industrial Fasteners, Inc. (1984) 36 Cal.3d 171, 180 [ 203 Cal.Rptr. 626 , 681 P.2d 893 ] (Palma).) We now grant the petition.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
The Board granted a medical license to Dr. Pirouzian in 1996. Before the actions that gave rise to this proceeding, Dr. Pirouzian had no record of disciplinary action against him. It is undisputed that he is, as the administrative law judge (ALJ) found, “a highly skilled, competent physician and surgeon who has never been found responsible for causing any patient harm.”
In 2006, Dr. Pirouzian began working as a pediatric ophthalmologist at Children’s Specialists of San Diego (CSSD). CSSD provided him with a group disability insurance plan from Northwestern Mutual. Dr. Pirouzian purchased…