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Judge: Lawsuit Over Firing Can Go To Trial Next Month
By: Associated Press
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – A judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by a former public health dentist at the University of Kentucky who said he was fired for publicly criticizing Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s plan to overhaul the state’s Medicaid program can go to trial.
Raynor Mullins lost his job with the university’s College of Dentistry last year after more than 40 years with the university. In a federal lawsuit against the dean of the UK College of Dentistry, Dr. Stephanos Kyrkanides, Mullins says he was punished for publicly criticizing the governor’s Medicaid plan.
The Courier-Journal reports U.S. District Judge Robert Weir found Mullins established evidence of a potential violation of his constitutional right to free speech. Kyrkanides has disputed the claims, but Weir’s order says “a jury will decide what actually happened.”
The trial is set to begin Nov. 6.