Judge Dismisses $25 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against 1st Hospital to Impose COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Doctor says she plans to appeal

The exterior of the Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas on June 9, 2021. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

A judge in Texas has dismissed a lawsuit that was filed against the first hospital in the United States to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Dr. Mary Bowden filed the suit against Houston Methodist, alleging that the system defamed her by calling her opinions about the COVID-19 vaccines and COVID-19 treatments “harmful to the community” and that Bowden was “spreading dangerous misinformation.”