NBA legend and vocal critic of the COVID vaccine, John Stockton, has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit in federal court. His lawsuit specifically addresses the issue of physicians facing repercussions for expressing their opinions about COVID.
Last week, Stockton filed a complaint seeking relief. Representing Stockton is Robert F. Kennedy, a presidential candidate who has been vocal about his views on the COVID pandemic.
Richard Eggleston, a retired ophthalmologist from Clarkston, is also involved in the case. The suit mentions that he has faced sanctions from the Washington Medical Commission for sharing information that goes against the government-approved COVID narrative.
Retired as he may be, Eggleston still held an active medical license when he penned opinion columns for the Lewiston Tribune, in which he cast doubt on the existence of COVID-19 and questioned the accuracy of COVID-19 death counts.
The claim alleges that the Defendants’ actions are stifling and censoring people’s right to access this information.
Attorneys stated that the main objective of this lawsuit is to safeguard the freedom of speech for physicians and ensure that the public has the right to receive and listen to their message.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Kyle Karinen, Executive Director of the Washington Medical Commission, are both defendants in the case.
In 2021, the medical commission officially implemented a policy aimed at taking disciplinary actions against doctors and physician assistants who propagate misleading information about COVID.
In one instance, the commission took action against a doctor from another state who had prescribed ivermectin to four patients in Washington using telemedicine.
The commission emphasized the importance of aligning with the oath to “do no harm.” They stressed the need to trust science, listen, educate, and care for patients based on guidelines provided by the FDA, CDC, and state health department experts. Their primary goal is to ensure the well-being and protection of the individuals they treat.
According to the lawsuit, around 60 physicians have been investigated, prosecuted, and/or sanctioned by the commission.
According to the complaint, the objective is to prevent the Commission from investigating, prosecuting, or penalizing doctors who publicly express their opposition to the “mainstream Covid narrative.” This narrative refers to the series of public health guidelines issued by the CDC and echoed by major news outlets. The complaint argues that these guidelines have eroded public trust in health authorities and that the CDC has had to apologize and pledge improvements multiple times.
The Children’s Defense Fund supports Stockton and Eggleston in the lawsuit, advocating for doctors who want to publicly discuss the latest studies on Covid booster shots and off-label treatments for Covid. The organization includes Washington parents who seek unbiased information from licensed physicians regarding the risk profile of the current Covid vaccine boosters.
Plaintiffs argue that Stockton and other Washington residents should have the right to hear from physicians who hold views that do not align with public health authorities, as protected by the First Amendment.
Physicians who are sanctioned or being investigated for spreading COVID misinformation claim that their First Amendment rights are being violated as well.
Stockton has been vocal about various aspects of the COVID pandemic and faced consequences such as the suspension of his Gonzaga basketball season tickets for his refusal to wear a mask when it was mandatory.
Richard Jaffe, who recently argued a case about California’s COVID misinformation law, is also representing the plaintiffs, along with Kennedy.
