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Retaliation Alleged

A physician who filed a complaint against Robert Malone, a controversial researcher and vaccine skeptic, tells The Scientist that he has been harassed and has faced retaliatory complaints.

Michael Patmas, a physician in Hawaii, tells The Scientist that he filed a complaint with the Maryland Board of Physicians last year after Malone, who is licensed in Maryland, spoke at rallies in Maui opposing vaccine mandates.

It adds that Malone shared the complaint and Patmas's name and employer on Twitter and referred to the complaint during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which has itself come under fire for spreading vaccine misinformation, including during Malone's appearance. Since then, Patmas tells The Scientist he has been harassed on Twitter and endured complaints to his employer and to the state of Hawaii.

Malone says he did not encourage that person to make a complaint to the state, The Scientist adds. It notes that both Maryland and Hawaii have closed their cases.

Patmas adds at The Scientist that he is concerned about the precedence this sets. "Retaliation for a complaint — if that's allowed to stand, then other physicians are going to be reluctant to hold one another accountable," he tells it.

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