What happens to a professional practice's ongoing regulatory complaints when it's sold?

An ongoing complaint against a professional generally follows that individual, not the practice as a whole, since colleges regulate the conduct of licensed individuals rather than businesses. Selling the practice doesn't end the complaint or transfer responsibility for it to the buyer; the professional named in the complaint typically remains accountable to their college regardless of whether they still own or work in the practice afterward.

That said, an unresolved complaint can still affect the sale itself in practical terms. A buyer conducting proper due diligence will usually want to know about any open complaints, since they can affect malpractice insurance, the seller's ability to practice going forward, and even how comfortable a buyer is proceeding with the deal at all. Honest disclosure matters here: misrepresenting or concealing a known complaint from a buyer can create its own legal exposure, separate from whatever the underlying complaint concerns.

Because how a specific college's complaints process interacts with a sale — timing, disclosure expectations, whether it affects a certificate of authorization — depends on that college's own rules, confirming the current status and getting advice on disclosure obligations before entering into a purchase agreement protects both the seller's professional standing and the integrity of the transaction.