NMSA 61-5A-25. Protected actions and communications

61-5A-25. Protected actions and communications. A. No member of the board or the committee or any ad hoc committee appointed by the board or the committee shall bear liability or be subject to civil damages or criminal prosecutions for any action undertaken or performed within the proper functions of the board or the committee. B. All written and oral communication made by any person to the board or the committee relating to actual or potential disciplinary action, which includes complaints made to the board or the committee, shall be confidential communications and are not public records for the purposes of the Public Records Act [Chapter 14, Article 3 NMSA 1978]. All data, communications and information acquired, prepared or disseminated by the board or the committee relating to actual or potential disciplinary action or its investigation of complaints shall not be disclosed except to the extent necessary to carry out the purposes of the board or the committee or in a judicial appeal from the actions of the board or the committee or in a referral of cases made to law enforcement agencies, national database clearinghouses or other licensing boards. C. Information contained in complaint files is public information and subject to disclosure when the board or the committee acts on a complaint and issues a notice of contemplated action or reaches a settlement prior to the issuance of a notice of contemplated action. D. No person or legal entity providing information to the board or the committee, whether as a report, a complaint or testimony, shall be subject to civil damages or criminal prosecutions. History: Laws 1994, ch. 55, § 25; 2003, ch. 409, § 18.