YAKIMA, Wash. – Dr. Richard Wilkinson and the Washington Medical Commission have been locked in a legal battle for over a year. This stems from Wilkinson’s use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 and controversial blog posts questioning vaccine efficacy.
Over a year after being found guilty of providing negligent care and spreading false information online, a judge ruled on Dr. Wilkinson’s appeal. He was punished by the Washington Medical Commission in 2023 for using ivermectin to treat COVID-19 and for making false claims about COVID in blog posts.
As a result, Dr. Wilkinson had his license suspended for five years and was assigned a clinical competency assessment along with a $15,000 fine. Following this 2023 ruling, Dr. Wilkinson filed for an appeal.
More than a year later, the appeal was resolved. The court upheld the doctor’s punishment for negligent patient care but protected his blog posts under the First Amendment. Judge Fearing, residing over this case stated, “The state has no right to protect the public from false doctrine.”
Karen Osborne of the Silent Majority Foundation, representing Dr. Wilkinson, commented on the outcome. “This was a big win for free speech in Washington,” she said.
On the other hand, the Washington State Office of the Attorney General praised the judge’s decision. “We appreciate the court’s thoughtful judgment in this matter,” they said.
The judge also encouraged the Washington Medical Commission to revoke any sanctions against Dr. Wilkinson for comments made on his blog.
