FLCCC Co-Founders Join AAPS Lawsuit Against ABIM and Board-Certifying Organizations for Censoring Physicians
Washington, D.C. (November 12, 2024) – The FLCCC Alliance announced that its co-founders, Dr. Pierre Kory and Dr. Paul Marik, are seeking by motion to join the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) Educational Foundation’s federal lawsuit against the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and other board-certifying organizations as well as the Biden Administration. This lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Galveston, TX, seeks to hold accountable entities that have not only censored but retaliated against physicians, including Drs. Kory and Marik, for advocating evidence-based approaches to patient care that are contrary to public health agency directives. Drs. Kory and Marik asked the court to join the suit after ABIM’s unprecedented decision to revoke their board certifications for their public advocacy despite their expertise acquired through long and distinguished careers.
The lawsuit alleges that ABIM engaged in tortious interference with their efforts to engage in a national debate over repurposed drugs and concerns about mRNA vaccination. The suit alleges that ABIM infringed on their freedom of speech, contractual due process rights, and includes defamation claims on behalf of Drs. Kory and Marik.
“Consensus-Driven” Medicine Cited as Rationale for Decertification
Since May 2022, when the ABIM first issued a Notice of Potential Disciplinary Action, Drs. Kory and Marik have tirelessly defended their efforts on the part of FLCCC’s positions, providing substantial medical and scientific evidence to support their recommendations for early COVID-19 treatment and critiques of vaccine risks. Despite these eminent physicians’ submitting over 170 references in a comprehensive 60-page response in January 2023, the ABIM chose to dismiss these scientific contributions in favor of a narrow, “consensus-driven” narrative—a rationale used as grounds for the revocation of their board certifications.
The AAPS case against ABIM and its co-defendants was originally dismissed by the District Court but was reinstated against the board defendants by the Fifth Circuit in its opinion that expressed strong concern about the suppression of medical viewpoints.
In response to their recent decertifications, Dr. Marik underscored the pressing need to protect medical freedom and accountability in healthcare:
“True progress in medicine depends on the free exchange of ideas and the courage to challenge established norms. Without open scientific debate, we risk losing the opportunity to discover effective treatments and provide the best patient care.”
“This fight is about more than just our right to speak—it’s about protecting the future of healthcare and putting these organizations on notice. When doctors are silenced for questioning the prevailing narrative, we all lose,” said Dr. Kory.
“We must ensure that medical decisions are guided by expertise and evidence, not by fear of reprisal.”
A Stand for Free Medical Speech and Patient Care
The lawsuit contends that board-certifying organizations, including the ABIM, the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), and the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ABOG), have acted in concert together and with the federal government to suppress and retaliate against physicians with dissenting viewpoints, thus infringing upon First Amendment rights. President and Chief Medical Officer of FLCCC Dr. Joseph Varon highlighted the critical need for organizations like FLCCC to stand behind medical professionals facing such reprisals.
“The FLCCC Alliance firmly believes that the essence of medical science lies in the open dialogue, exchange of ideas, and rigorous debate of differing perspectives. However, the actions of the ABIM reflect a troubling trend towards censoring any opinions that challenge the status quo. This censorship stifles innovation, limits treatment options for patients, and ultimately harms the doctor-patient relationship.”
Seeking Justice and Accountability
This case represents a broader fight for the integrity of healthcare, protecting physicians’ right to practice honest medicine based on clinical experience and scientific evidence. The FLCCC Alliance remains steadfast in its mission to advocate for healthcare providers’ autonomy, ensuring that the voices of Drs. Kory and Marik, and other medical professionals, are not silenced. This lawsuit is a pivotal step toward safeguarding medical integrity and patient care freedom for practitioners and patients around the world.
About the FLCCC Alliance
The FLCCC Alliance, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, was formed in March 2020 by a group of highly published, world-renowned critical care physicians and scholars with the academic support of allied physicians worldwide. Known for its lifesaving protocols for preventing and treating COVID-19 in all stages of illness, including “long COVID” and post-vaccination syndrome, the FLCCC has expanded its work to include treatment guides for various other conditions, such as sepsis, metabolic disease, cancer, and depression. The organization is dedicated to Honest Medicine™ that prioritizes patients above profits and emphasizes long-term wellness and the empowerment of both physicians and their patients.
About AAPS
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons – AAPS – is a non-partisan professional association of physicians in all types of practices and specialties across the country.
Since 1943, AAPS has been dedicated to the highest ethical standards of the Oath of Hippocrates and to preserving the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship and the practice of private medicine.
