Temple Prevails in Libel Suit Related to Doctor’s Privilege Loss

A former Temple University Hospital department head couldn’t succeed on defamation claims arising out of the termination of his medical staff privileges following complaints of sexual harassment made against him by resident doctors, a federal court said.

The quasi-judicial privilege barred Michael Weinik’s libel and slander claims against Shivani Dua, a doctor who shared her concerns about him with Temple officials in an attempt to start an investigation, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said Monday.

The Health Care Quality Improvement Act protected statements made in connection with a peer review process that ended in Weinik’s ...