SPOKANE, Wash. – COVID-19 skeptic John Stockton’s lawsuit seeking an injunction against the Washington Medical Commission for considering disciplining doctors who spread disinformation about the virus has been dismissed in federal court.
According to the Washington Attorney General’s Office, the lawsuit alleging that the state violated the first amendment rights of physicians who expressed skepticism toward COVID-19 safety regulations was dismissed in US District Court Wednesday.
“Adding famous names to a baseless lawsuit can’t change what it is…If you want to practice medicine in Washington, you just play by the rules. These doctors must face the medical commission and answer for their actions,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said.
Stockton has garnered headlines in the past three years for opposing COVID-19 regulations at Gonzaga games and for backing a Jan. 6 US Capitol rioter.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed on as one of the attorneys representing Stockton in the now dismissed case. Kennedy is one of the most prominent anti-vaccine activists in the United States.
Now that the case has been dismissed in federal court, the medical commission will continue to consider whether two doctors who spread misinformation about COVID-19 should be sanctioned.
