Federal prosecutors dismissed charges on Jan. 24 against Eithan Haim, MD, a Texas surgeon accused of illegally accessing and sharing private medical records related to gender-transition treatments for minors at Texas Children's Hospital, according to court documents obtained by Becker's.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued the dismissal order, which was signed by U.S. District Judge David Hittner.
The charges, initially filed in May 2023, alleged that Dr. Haim accessed the hospital's database under false pretenses after his employment there had ended and shared the records with conservative activist Christopher Rufo. Prosecutors claimed he used the data to support claims about the hospital continuing to provide transgender care for minors despite publicly announcing in 2022 that it had ceased such services.
Dr. Haim, 34, admitted to sharing the records but asserted that he redacted all identifiable details and acted as a whistleblower to expose what he believed was harmful care. Mr. Rufo later published an article alleging the hospital had not followed through on its pledge to end transgender care for minors.
Prosecutors did not provide an explanation for dropping the charges. Dr. Haim expressed relief in a statement, crediting President Donald Trump for advocating against transgender medical treatments and supporting whistleblowers.
In an emailed statement to The New York Times, Houston-based Texas Children's Hospital said it would "defer to and respect" the prosecutors' decision.
Becker's has reached out to the hospital for comment and will update the story if more information becomes available.