AI Generated Opinion Summaries

This summary was computer-generated without any editorial revision. It is not official, has not been checked for accuracy, and is NOT citable.

Facts

• The appellant, a certified nurse aide, was terminated from her employment at a healthcare facility following allegations of resident abuse. The New Mexico Department of Health investigated the complaints, substantiated the allegations, and decided to place the appellant's name on a nurse aide registry, effectively barring her from future employment in the field. The appellant contested the findings, arguing that her procedural due process rights were violated.

Procedural History

• District Court of Bernalillo County: Affirmed the Department of Health's decision to place the appellant's name on the nurse aide registry.
• Court of Appeals of the State of New Mexico: Affirmed the district court's order.

Parties' Submissions

• Appellant: Argued that her procedural due process rights were violated by the Department of Health's decision to place her name on the nurse aide registry without adequate protections against erroneous deprivation of her right to employment.
• Appellees (New Mexico Department of Health and Secretary of the Department of Health): Contended that the appellant was afforded due process and that the court lacks jurisdiction over the appeal. They also argued that the regulations and procedures followed did not violate the appellant's due process rights.

Legal Issues

• Whether the appellant's procedural due process rights were violated by the placement of her name on the nurse aide registry.
• Whether the court has jurisdiction over the appeal.

Disposition

• The Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's order, concluding that the appellant's procedural due process rights were not violated and that the court has jurisdiction over the appeal.

Reasons

• The Court of Appeals, per Judge Jonathan B. Sutin, with Judges M. Monica Zamora and J. Miles Hanisee concurring, found that the appellant was provided with adequate procedural protections, including the opportunity to contest the allegations against her at a hearing. The court also determined that it had jurisdiction over the appeal, rejecting the Department's jurisdictional challenges. The court deferred to the Department's expertise in defining "abuse" and establishing regulations for nurse aides, finding no violation of procedural due process rights in the appellant's case (paras 23-41).