POTENTIAL IMPACT: If successful, this case could bring about significant changes to how veterinary training programs operate across the country.

NEW LAWSUIT FILED BY TWO FORMER VETERINARY INTERNS BROUGHT AGAINST VETERINARY SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, AND A TRADE ASSOCIATION, ALLEGING ANTITRUST CONSPIRACY:

  • Plaintiffs: Riley Amore and Caroline Parker
  • Defendants: American Association of Veterinary Clinicians; Solution Innovations, Inc.; VCA Animal Hospitals, Inc.; Bluepearl Operations, LLC; Medvet Associates, LLC; Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, P.C.; University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine; Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University; Pathway Vet Alliance, LLC; The Animal Medical Center, Inc.
  • Civil Action No: 7:25CV00229
  • Filed: April 2, 2025
  • Court: U.S. District Court Western District of Virginia – Roanoke Division
  • Nature of Suit: Antitrust

Click here to access the complete legal filing.

Veterinary interns, residents allege suppressed wages in antitrust lawsuit (4.3.25)
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/veterinary-interns-residents-allege-suppressed-wages-antitrust-lawsuit-2025-04-03/

  • “A lawsuit filed in Virginia federal court accuses a group of universities, animal hospitals and a trade association for veterinary clinics of conspiring to suppress wages and employment mobility of veterinarians who seek training through internship and residency programs,” according to reuters.
  • The average pay for veterinary interns was about $56,000 versus the $131,000 that a first-year veterinarian entering private practice can earn, according to the lawsuit.

Proposed class action by veterinary interns brought against veterinary schools, hospitals alleging antitrust conspiracy (5.12.25)
https://www.avma.org/news/proposed-class-action-veterinary-interns-brought-against-veterinary-schools-hospitals-alleging

  • Riley Amore and Caroline Parker alleged the defendants “collectively designed and agreed to participate in a scheme that intentionally suppresses competition by forcing all such individuals to apply for employment through a system called the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program” (VIRMP). That’s according to a proposed class action suit filed April 2 in the U.S. District Court Western District of Virginia — according to the AVMA.
  • Intern Salaries: “The lawsuit also accuses employers and institutions participating in the VIRMP of sharing salary and benefit information and, as a result, standardizing and artificially suppressing wages and benefits for veterinary interns and residents,” according to the AVMA.

Class action lawsuit alleges Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program violates anti-trust laws: What former participants say (6.5.25)
https://www.aaha.org/trends-magazine/publications/class-action-lawsuit-alleges-veterinary-internship-and-residency-matching-program-violates-anti-trust-laws-what-former-participants-say/

  • “According to the lawsuit, between 70%-75% of all the available internship and residency positions were offered exclusively through VIRMP,” according to AAHA.

Veterinary Interns Sue Over Alleged Wage Suppression in Antitrust Lawsuit (4.7.25)
https://www.myvetcandy.com/blog/2025/4/7/veterinary-interns-sue-over-alleged-wage-suppression-in-antitrust-lawsuit

  • The plaintiffs argue that this program violates antitrust laws through several anticompetitive practices, including the following, according to Vet Candy:
    • Salary restrictions: “Preventing interns and residents from negotiating their salaries before the matching process is complete.”
    • Data sharing: “Sharing compensation information among competing institutions, which the plaintiffs claim artificially limits wage growth.”
    • Restricted job mobility: “Forcing veterinary interns into low-paying positions, hindering their ability to seek better-paying opportunities.”