Mayo Clinic, Physician Face Off in High-Profile Civil Trial

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A high-profile civil lawsuit trial is underway in Olmsted County Court.

A jury was seated and testimony began Monday in the case, which involves a well-known Mayo Clinic physician and his employer. Dr. Michael Joyner filed the lawsuit against Mayo Clinic in 2023, claiming he faced retaliation for comments he made in media interviews and for his actions as a purported “whistleblower” by reporting a Mayo Clinic business partner’s attempt to unlawfully access and use protected patient data.

Claims Against Mayo Clinic

The lawsuit describes Dr. Joyner as a distinguished professor of anesthesiology at Mayo Clinic’s College of Medicine and Science. It states that during his more than 35 years at Mayo Clinic, Joyner participated in hundreds of media interviews, but in March 2023, “Mayo disciplined Joyner for media interview statements regarding his own research and conclusions.”

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Disciplinary Actions Cited

Court documents say the punishment included a one-week unpaid suspension, denial of any salary increase at his next annual review, and the threat of termination. Joyner claims the discipline stemmed from interviews he participated in with The New York Times and CNN.

COVID-19 Research and Public Statements

In one interview, he stated, “Testosterone is the 800-pound gorilla,” while discussing sex differences and sports performance. In another interview, Joyner criticized the National Institutes of Health’s approval process as “bureaucratic rope-a-dope” and claimed the agency’s guidelines discourage doctors from using convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19.

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Joyner became a champion of using convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 patients in the early stages of the pandemic and was named the principal investigator of the U.S. Expanded Access Program for convalescent plasma. His work on its potential attracted national attention.

Academic Freedom

His lawsuit argues that the disciplinary actions violated Mayo Clinic’s “Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom Policy.” Joyner contends the policy “promises to protect faculty from fear of retribution or retaliation when those opinions and conclusions conflict with those of the faculty or the institution.”

Problematic Media Statements

Mayo Clinic responded to the lawsuit by arguing that the discipline faced by Dr. Joyner was the result of problematic statements to the media and disrespectful communications with fellow Mayo Clinic employees.

The judge presiding over the case ruled last year that Joyner cannot pursue the portion of his lawsuit related to whistleblower protections. However, the judge ruled that a jury may hear his breach-of-contract claims against Mayo Clinic.