A Rhode Island dentist who was ordered to stop seeing patients for defying the state's COVID-19 vaccination mandate lost his appeal in federal court, WJAR reported June 4.
Stephen Skoly, DMD, was ordered by the Rhode Island Department of Health to stop seeing patients at his practice in Cranston in October 2021 after he publicly defied the state's COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
He filed a federal lawsuit against the state in February 2022, which argued that the state violated his constitutional rights by denying him a medical exemption. Dr. Skoly said he has a history of Bell's palsy and that the COVID-19 vaccine can aggravate the condition.
A judge previously dismissed the lawsuit, leading Dr. Skoly to appeal to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
The First Circuit Court upheld the dismissal last week, WJAR reported.
Dr. Skoly, who still provides dental services for multiple state agencies, told WJAR that he would like to appeal the case further but must consider time and expenses.