Pharmacy License Defense
Board complaints, investigations, and disciplinary actions for Tennessee pharmacists, pharmacies, and technicians, handled by a former deputy general counsel at the Department of Health, with a litigation firm behind him.
Eleven years inside Tennessee healthcare regulation, including as deputy general counsel at the Department of Health.
Licensed in Tennessee, with federal practice before the DEA, FDA, and HHS nationwide.
The healthcare division of Litson PLLC, ready if a matter reaches court.
How we approach it
A Board complaint rarely arrives at a convenient moment, and the letter itself tends to say very little about what prompted it, which leaves a pharmacist guessing at what the investigator already knows and what the Board is likely to make of it. Matt Gibbs spent more than eleven years on the other side of that letter, including as deputy general counsel at the Tennessee Department of Health, where he advised the people who make enforcement decisions, so he reads a complaint the way the Board will read it.
That vantage point shapes everything that follows. Investigators have a job to do, and they do it well, so the first task is understanding exactly what is being asked, what records the agency can freely request, and what a complete and accurate response looks like before anything is sent. From there the work is building the fullest picture of the pharmacy’s practices, the corrective steps already taken, and the context an investigator may not have, then presenting it in the form the Board is used to relying on.
Many matters resolve at the investigative stage or through a negotiated order that protects the license and the operation behind it. When a matter proceeds to a contested case hearing, it is handled with the litigation firm behind RxLaw Group, so the defense holds up no matter how far it goes. And because discipline can follow a license for the rest of a career, we also help licensees who qualify petition for administrative expungement once enough time has passed.
What we handle
From the first letter to the final order, and the clean-up that comes years later.
Understanding what prompted the complaint and preparing a complete, accurate written response before the deadline.
Preparing for investigator interviews and records requests, and knowing which requests you are required to answer.
Negotiating terms that protect the license and the pharmacy, with a clear-eyed read on what the Board will accept.
Full representation before the Board and an administrative law judge, backed by Litson PLLC’s litigators.
Petitions to lift conditions, reinstate a license, or modify the terms of an existing order.
A flat-fee petition to clear qualifying older discipline from the public license profile once you are eligible.
An active complaint, investigation, or hearing is handled on an hourly or retainer basis with a clear scope and estimate before work begins. Members get the preparation that keeps most matters from ever reaching that stage: unlimited questions, policy and record review, and inspection readiness on one flat monthly fee.
Common questions
The Board assigns the complaint to an investigator, who gathers records and may ask to speak with you before the matter goes to a Board consultant or the Board itself for a decision on whether formal action is warranted. Many complaints close with no action once the full picture is in front of the reviewer, which is why the quality and completeness of the first response matters so much.
Investigators are doing their job, and cooperating is almost always the right instinct. The trouble comes from answering before you understand the question, or handing over records without knowing which ones the agency can request and which ones deserve context. A short conversation with counsel before you respond usually makes the response better for everyone, the investigator included.
Membership covers the questions, document review, and preparation that surround a matter, and it is the reason most members never face one. An active investigation, hearing, or disciplinary action is a separate engagement, scoped and estimated up front on an hourly or retainer basis, so there is never a surprise about what is covered.
In some cases, yes. Since July 1, 2025, Tennessee law allows licensees who completed a Board-approved peer assistance or treatment program at least 5 years ago to petition for administrative expungement of the related disciplinary information from the public license verification page. RxLaw Group handled the first petition granted under the law.
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