Woman drops out of lawsuit against Springfield vet clinic, kennel

One of the plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit against a local veterinary clinic has dropped out but the lawyer on the case said he expects the class action complaint to move forward.

Court documents show Tiffany Lobeck dismissed all claims against the Northside Veterinary Clinic and King Kennel in Springfield. Lobeck had previously been named as a plaintiff in the case, which alleged the business charged customers for a flea treatment and other services that weren’t administered.

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The lawsuit, filed in Clark County Common Pleas Court on Feb. 7, claims the Northside Veterinary Clinic and King Kennel charged customers from 2001 to 2014 for Capstar, an oral tablet to treat and prevent flea infestations in pets. The complaint alleges the medication wasn’t given to the pets.

The complaint seeks more than $750,000 in punitive damages, attorney fees, interest and other damages.

Lobeck couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

The claims by Vaughn McKenney, a separate plaintiff in the case, remain pending, said Andrew Pratt, McKenney’s attorney.

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“People come and go in these class action cases all the time,” Pratt said. “They all have their own reasons and I’m not at liberty to discuss those reasons. We’ll be adding people to the class this week.”

Dr. Dana King, the Springfield veterinarian named in the lawsuit, has previously denied the allegations.

Richard Mayhall, King’s attorney, said there’s no merit to the case and said a review of business records indicate McKenney was never charged for any services at the kennel.

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Pratt declined to discuss whether McKenney was a customer at the kennel, and McKenney couldn’t be reached for comment.

“Half the case has gone away,” Mayhall said of Lobeck’s dismissal. “I’ve spoken with my clients and they’ve conducted an extensive review of the records of both Northside Veterinary Clinic and King Kennel. It’s still ongoing, but as of today, there is no indication that Vaughn McKenney ever boarded an animal at King Kennel.”

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