Michael Joyner’s Case Against the Mayo Clinic is Headed to Trial
One of the current cases that the Academic Freedom Alliance is supporting is going to trial in the next few months. This marks a first for our relatively young organization. AFA member Michael Joyner, a professor and physician at the Mayo Clinic, reached out to us in March 2023 after he was disciplined following comments he made to the media that were critical of a government agency and that emphasized the role of testosterone in athletic performance. His predicament became public in the weeks that followed, and media coverage of Mayo’s
disciplinary actions can be found here.
The AFA and several other organizations wrote to Mayo requesting a reversal of the punishment he received. When Mayo refused to rescind his discipline, Joyner filed suit in Minnesota state court. Over the last two years, Joyner’s case has survived a motion to dismiss, gone through discovery, and made it through summary judgment. The AFA has covered 100% of Dr. Joyner’s legal expenses throughout this entire ordeal, but as the case heads to trial those costs are about to increase significantly — and the AFA is committed to ensuring that Joyner can continue to meet the Mayo Clinic, an institution with tremendous financial and legal resources, on equal footing in court.
This is an important moment for scientific inquiry, to ensure professors and researchers have the ability to speak freely about their findings, and to deter administrators who are tempted to retaliate against scholars who share politically inconvenient truths. But we are going to need your help. Please consider donating to our cause and take this opportunity to claim your part of our effort to support Dr. Joyner’s brave stand as his case heads to trial. To make a donation, follow the instructions at this link:
The Academic Freedom Alliance launched in March 2021 with 217 founding members. Since that time, our alliance has grown to include over 900 faculty members from across the country. We have also helped fund the legal defense of 30 individuals with satisfactory results in 25 of those matters. We are approaching one million dollars of total legal defense funding in our short history. Our model of strength in numbers with an ability to assist professors who have their academic freedom threatened is working – but we need your help.
Learn More About the Academic Freedom Alliance
Individuals at academic institutions should not fear suppression or retaliation for teaching, writing, or speaking. We encourage you to join the movement in supporting the flourishing of intellectual life and the pursuit of knowledge and truth at institutions of higher learning.