DALLAS—A Texas physician who referred to himself as a whistleblower on transgender care for juveniles and was charged with unlawfully accessing private information about patients who were not in his care was dismissed by federal prosecutors on Friday.
The U.S. district judge in Houston dismissed the case against Dr. Eithan Haim a week after the Trump administration issued executive orders restricting transgender rights.
Haim, a 34-year-old surgeon, was accused by the prosecution of taking the information and giving it to a conservative activist with the intention of maliciously harming Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, which is one of the biggest pediatric hospitals in the country.
In June, Haim entered a not guilty plea to four counts of improperly obtaining personally identifiable health information, claiming innocence outside the courthouse.
In June, Haim declared, “We will fight this to the death and defend whistleblowers everywhere.”
One of Haim’s lawyers, Ryan Patrick, stated that the dismissal validates their case and that they are delighted for Dr. Haim and his family that this experience is at last ended.
As part of his residency, Haim worked at Texas Children’s Hospital before moving to the Dallas region. According to the accusation, Haim requested to have his login reactivated there, started accessing data about children who were not in his care in 2023, and then gave it to a media source.
Haim has made it known that he provided a conservative activist with patient information at Texas Children’s, which led to the publication of an article claiming that the institution was covertly treating transgender children.
Although Texas at the time permitted transgender care for kids, the hospital had declared in 2022 that it would no longer provide gender-affirming care. Beginning in September 2023, transgender care for youngsters was prohibited in Texas.
In a statement released on Friday, Texas Children’s stated that they appreciate and adhere to the Justice Department’s rulings in the case. The hospital’s clinicians have always given care that complies with the law, according to earlier declarations.
If found guilty, Haim, who had been freed on bond, could have spent up to 10 years in prison and been fined $250,000.