In January, Dr. Hasan Gokal was fired for giving away 10 COVID-19 vaccination doses that were about to expire.
Gokal was charged by the Harris County District Attorney with theft, but a grand jury exonerated him in June.
Gokal is now suing Harris County to recover more than $1million for discrimination.
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Houston doctor, who was accused of taking COVID-19 vaccine dosages but was later cleared by a grand jury, is now suing Harris County for discrimination in Texas for more than $1,000,000
Last December, Dr. Hasan Gokal worked with Harris County Public Health to establish their first vaccination site. Gokal went door to door to administer shots and tried to find people who were eligible for the Moderna vaccine.
Gokal was fired after he was accused of violating protocol. Kim Ogg, the District Attorney, also filed theft charges against Gokal.
Harris County Public Health also reached to the Texas Medical Board in an effort to open an investigation into unethical behavior. This was dropped in March. Gokal could not work until the investigation was completed.
Gokal was acquitted by a grand jury in June.
Insider heard from Gokal that he thought about filing a lawsuit against the county shortly after the charges were dropped. However, it wasn't until a month later that he had serious discussions about it with a lawyer.
He stated that while he was relieved that the case against him had been dropped, the past nine-months were very difficult for him and his family. He hopes the suit will bring him justice.
"The first few months were difficult, I was unable to work for a living. My career may be over. What will happen to the criminal charges, and so forth? Gokal stated that anyone who is under that amount of stress or in a state of uncertainty in their lives will be affected by this uncertainty. It was felt in my entire family. It was evident that the stress is already felt by my children, who are still young. My wife's condition was worsened by all the stress.
Gokal said that he also hopes to prevent this from happening again. "You're dealing with a doctor who does what a doctor does, and suddenly you turn it into an criminal issue. This should never happen to anyone else. It doesn't matter how you slice it, it's wrong," he said to Insider.
Gokal also stated that he wanted to raise awareness about the fact that Harris County Public Health, just like other agencies in the country, "no longer uses physicians and they're making their own decisions without the help of doctors." Gokal stated that these agencies make decisions about public health and do not need to consult doctors.
Gokal stated that "this has changed in the past year, and it is a very worrisome trend and dangerous trend."
Insider was emailed by Gokal and his lawyer a press release in which Gokal stated that the public health department had told him "he chose the wrong people to assist too many of them had Indian names, too many were Asian."
Joe Ahmad, Gokal's lawyer, stated that it was clear that if he had given vaccines to people named Anderson Smith and Jones, he would have been called an hero and not been fired, charged and vilified and brought before the grand jury, which thankfully refused indict him.
Although the Harris County District Attorney didn't respond to Insider's request to comment at the time this article was published, he previously stated that CBS News had told CBS News that "The District Attorney's Office prosecutes State Crimes that occur in Harris County." Our intent is to pursue prosecutions against all of the accused. We strictly follow evidence-based prosecution. This Defendant was charged with Theft by a Public Servant. The evidence came from witnesses and statements. Grand jury witnesses in Texas are not allowed to reveal what happened in grand jury. However, they can tell you what they saw in an incident.
Insider was told by Ahmad that it is not clear how much financial loss Gokal's charges and case against him will cause, but they believe the impact will last for many years.
The full extent of the damage is not yet known, but the economic losses are still being felt. Dr. Gokal is still working and he's doing shifts in an ER. Ahmad said that it's not an ideal job but that he is doing it."
Insider heard from Gokal that the case had caused him stress and that he was unable to devote his full attention to patients.
Ahmad also stated to Insider that the negative publicity caused by the case had adversely affected Gokal's reputation.
Ahmad stated that he believes he will be suffering one year from now and two years from now due to the nature of the negative publicity against Ahmad, which he has been vilified nationwide. Do we think that damages could be more than $1 million?" Yes. As time passes, we'll learn more.
Gokal stated that he is frustrated because he did the right thing.
He said, "I don’t believe I was treated fairly, so I’m hoping to get an understanding of fairness from this, that’s number one."
