Correction and apology: “A previous version of this article referred to Dr. Gill as an “anti-vaxxer”. This is categorically false and was a mistake on our part. We unreservedly apologize to Dr. Gill for this error”. Billionaire and owner of Twitter (“X”) Elon Musk has agreed to help Canadian Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill of Brampton ON, settle her $300,000 court bill before the March 25 deadline. The balance is from a failed libel case, where Gill took detractors to court for a smear campaign against her once she started to speak out about COVID-19 mandates. Gill, a pediatrician, was one of the first in her field to sound the alarm on the problems with lockdowns, which shut down schools, public spaces, and workplaces during the pandemic and especially their impact on children. She also spoke out against vaccine mandates, which prevented people from returning to those places without the jab. Gill posted her medical opinion to social media throughout 2020. She was also one of the physicians who early on pointed out that natural immunity could be a thing and the vaccine might not be necessary. She also said there was not enough scientific rationale to impose lockdown on Canadians, especially kids. In response to Gill raising concerns over lockdowns, the vaccines, and mandates, she was accused of being an “anti-vaxxer” and a “danger to the public,” a conspiracy theorist, an “extremist crank,” and part of a “war on science” by detractors. These people were other doctors, academics, a former president of the Ontario Medical Association, university professors, media outlets and journalists, according to the National Post. A “pack of hyenas” obsessed with destroying her reputation, Gill called them in the lawsuit she filed in December 2020. When it got to the point Gill felt the slanderous backlash was defamation, she filed a $12 million libel suit against 23 of them.’’They filed an anti-SLAPP motion, which is a legal avenue that halts a lawsuit early on if it is found to have the potential to curb discussion that is in the public interest.In November 2022, Gill was ordered to pay $1.1 million in legal costs after her case was struck down earlier that year. The judge reasoned if Gill won, it could interfere with public debate. “Its chilling effects would have an impact well beyond the parties to this case. Dr. Gill herself is the most obvious cause of damage to her reputation,” the judge said. Gill’s trouble didn’t end there. Like Canadian psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson, she had to answer to her regulatory body, Ontario’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, to defend herself against what she said online. The college warned Gill in 2022 she would have to appear before a discipline tribunal, where, if found guilty, her licence could be revoked. But then in October 2020, the college cancelled its planned disciplinary hearing of Gill’s case. “It appears they finally recognized that Dr. Gill’s concerns about the harms of lockdowns and vaccine mandates were well-supported and could not reasonably be said to constitute ‘misinformation,’” said her lawyer at the time. In late February 2024, the total amount Gill owes was reduced from $1.1 million to $300,000 — but she only has a few weeks to pay it. The total sum is due March 25. A post by Musk from all the way back in August must have caught Gill’s eye as she was wondering from where she would get the money. Musk’s post says, “If you were treated unfairly by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill. No limit. Please let us know.” Gill retweeted the post on Thursday and wrote, “Hi Elon, as one of the first (Canadian) MDs to oppose lockdowns on Twitter in 2020, in a socialized healthcare system where government is sole-payer, I’ve been persecuted for four years solely due to my tweets. Please help! $300K in court-ordered costs due in four days. A GiveSendGo crowdfunding campaign was launched, and the pediatrician reached $164,039, more than half her goal, by Friday afternoon. "We will help," responded Musk.
