How can a licensee contest a TBCE complaint?

• A. Respond to notices and request a hearing; consider legal counsel.
• B. Ignore the notice and continue practice.
• C. File a civil suit against the board instead.
• D. Resign immediately without response.

Answer: (A)

Contesting a TBCE complaint hinges on using the board’s authorized administrative hearing process and preserving your due‑process rights. When you receive a notice, you should respond by the required deadline and request a contested-case hearing, ideally with legal counsel. This path lets you present defenses, evidence, and witnesses before an administrative law judge, and it gives you the opportunity to challenge the board’s allegations in a formal setting. Ignoring the notice can result in a default order against you, without ever having a chance to contest the claims. Filing a civil lawsuit against the board isn’t the proper route to challenge a disciplinary complaint, and resigning immediately ends your license but doesn’t resolve the underlying proceeding within the board’s process. Engaging the hearing process is the correct way to defend the license and seek resolution within the TBCE framework.