Section 43-05-16.6 - Board immunity and privileged communications1. No member of the board, its committees, its employees, or its staff is liable for civil damages or subject to criminal prosecution for any action undertaken or performed within the scope of the functions of the board when acting without malice or gross negligence and in the reasonable belief the action was warranted.2. Every communication, oral or written, made by or on behalf of any person, institution, agency, or organization to the board or to any person designated by the board to investigate or otherwise hear matters relating to any disciplinary action, is privileged. No action or proceeding, civil or criminal, is permitted against any person, institution, agency, or organization for submitting a report to the board under section 43-05-16.5. For any report or communication not required by section 43-05-16.5, no action or proceeding, civil or criminal, is permitted against a person, institution, agency, or organization, except upon proof that the communication or report was made with malice.
3. The protections afforded in this section do not prohibit a respondent or a respondent's legal counsel from exercising the respondent's constitutional right of due process under the law, or as prohibiting the respondent from normal access to the charges and evidence filed against the respondent as part of due process under the law.