In an effort to make ethics violations and the disciplinary process more transparent, starting August 1, 2014, C.A.R. will be publishing the names – and the other information listed below – of members who are found in violation of the Code of Ethics. If a member is found in violation of the Code, and the discipline is anything other than a letter of warning or stand-alone education, the following information will be published by C.A.R.:
- The name and photo of the member found in violation. If the member’s name is similar to another member’s, their real estate license number and/or office address may also be included in the publication;
- A list of the Articles of the Code of Ethics that were violated and possibly the applicable standards of practice;
- A brief factual synopsis of the matter, with the names of other parties removed;
- The discipline imposed;
- The effective date and duration of discipline imposed; and
- The hearing Panel’s rationale for the discipline imposed, if applicable.
The name of the real estate firm will not be published. The name of the responsible broker will be published if the broker was also named and found in violation. This information will be published on the members-only section of car.org and local associations will be free to publish the information in their local members-only publications. Local associations will begin requiring respondents named in an ethics complaint to submit a photo at the time of filing a response to the complaint, or allow their picture to be taken before the hearing begins.