Mayo Clinic Doctor’s Lawsuit Over Discipline Heads to Trial in New York

Trial Begins in Civil Case

A civil lawsuit involving a prominent Mayo Clinic physician is underway in Olmsted County Court. A jury was selected last week, and testimony began in a case that centers on claims of retaliation, free speech and internal policy disputes.

Dr. Michael Joyner, a longtime professor of anesthesiology at Mayo Clinic’s College of Medicine and Science, sued the clinic in 2023. He says he was punished for comments he made during national media interviews and for reporting what he believed was an improper attempt by a Mayo Clinic business partner to access protected patient data.

Claims Against Mayo Clinic

According to the lawsuit, Joyner has worked for Mayo Clinic for more than 35 years and has participated in hundreds of interviews. The complaint says that in March 2023, Mayo Clinic “disciplined Joyner for media interview statements regarding his own research and conclusions.”

Court documents outline the discipline: a one-week unpaid suspension, no salary increase at his next review and a threat of termination. Joyner says the penalties stemmed from comments he made to The New York Times and CNN.

In one interview, he said, “Testosterone is the 800-pound gorilla,” while speaking about sex differences and sports performance. In another, he criticized the National Institutes of Health’s approval process as “bureaucratic rope-a-dope” and said agency guidelines were discouraging physicians from using convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19.

Background on Joyner’s COVID-19 Research

Joyner played a national role during the early pandemic. He became an advocate for using convalescent plasma and served as principal investigator of the U.S. Expanded Access Program for the treatment. His research drew national interest, and his public statements were widely covered.

The lawsuit argues that Mayo Clinic violated its “Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom Policy.” According to the filing, 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.”

Mayo Clinic’s Response

Mayo Clinic has said in court that Joyner was disciplined because of problematic media statements and “disrespectful communications” with colleagues. The clinic disputes Joyner’s claim that the actions taken against him were connected to protected speech.

The court has already narrowed the scope of the case. Last year, the judge ruled that Joyner cannot pursue whistleblower-related claims. However, the judge allowed his breach-of-contract claims to proceed to trial. Those claims are now before the jury.

What Comes Next

The trial is expected to focus on whether Mayo Clinic’s discipline violated its own internal policies and whether Joyner’s public statements were protected under those policies. The lawsuit seeks damages tied to the disciplinary measures he faced.