SPOKANE, Wash. — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Gonzaga Basketball and NBA star John Stockton in an effort to halt an investigation into the spread of COVID-19 misinformation by licensed medical professionals.
Stockton, along with an organization founded by presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., filed the lawsuit in March to stop the Washington Medical Commission from enforcing its unprofessional conduct regulations against two physicians accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19.
Stockton's lawyer told KREM 2 back in March the main goal of the lawsuit was to obtain a preliminary injunction to stop the Washington Medical Commission from investigating, prosecuting or sanctioning doctors for speaking out in public against the "mainstream COVID narrative."
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Rice granted Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s motion to dismiss the case on Wednesday.
“Adding famous names to a baseless lawsuit can’t change what it is,” Ferguson said in a statement. “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.”
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the commission charged doctors Thomas Siler and Richard Eggleston with unprofessional conduct for spreading COVID-19 misinformation in opinion articles in both newspapers and online. The AG’s office claims those articles contained false claims that vaccines are unsafe and COVID-19 tests are inaccurate. The doctors are also accused of touting alternative treatments, like the anti-parasite drug ivermectin, that were proven to be ineffective and possibly dangerous. The proceeding of those cases is ongoing.
Stockton has been a vocal critic of the state's response to the COVID outbreak. During the height of the pandemic, he was told he couldn't attend Gonzaga basketball games in the Kennel if he wouldn't wear a mask.
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