Case #0018
Wolfgang Urmetzer

Wolfgang Urmetzer

Anesthesiology  ·  Nürnberg, Germany
Main hearing of appeals pending
Case Report — Documentation

Type of persecution

  • State criminal prosecution
  • Public discrediting

Accusation

  • Issuing false health certificates pursuant to § 278 of the German Criminal Code (old version) – issuing false health certificates
  • Charge: false health certificates “in gross violation of the duties associated with his profession” in 264 cases.

What actually happened?

The Hippocratic Oath and the Declaration of Geneva are the highest foundations of my medical practice.
In my layman’s legal understanding, based on anamnestic information (prima facie evidence, as required by the BayIfSMV (Bavarian Infection Protection Measures Ordinance) until 29 November 2020) and my years of daily experience with masks as an anesthesiologist, I issued exemption certificates to the best of my knowledge and conscience, in some cases even before a personal examination.

Until 2020, there was a relevant difference for me between a medical certificate and a health certificate. To this day, I am not aware of any law or regulation that fundamentally requires me to carry out a physical examination before issuing a medical certificate. Nor does the code of professional conduct require this. Moreover, the medical history is the first step of any examination and is therefore a fundamental part of the examination.

— Wolfgang Urmetzer

Current Status

On 13 May 2026 at 11:00 a.m., main hearing of the appeals before the 6th Criminal Senate of the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Leipzig against the judgment of 20 March 2024 at the Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court.

Impact — Documentation

Professional impact

  • Significant decline in treatments due to long-standing patients staying away as a result of the discrediting

Financial impact

  • Legal fees so far approx. 53,000 euros
  • Reduced practice income (approx. 2,500 euros/month)
  • Savings used up. No further assets
  • Loss of patients due to reputational damage

Personal impact

  • Jumpiness, anxiety, sleep disorders.
  • Withdrawal of many people in my personal environment because of my attitude towards the p(l)andemic

Collegial reactions

  • Surprisingly many colleagues have shown their solidarity with me, though not publicly.

Press reactions

  • Supportive trial coverage published on Telegram.
  • I have no information on other reactions from the print press.

Outlook

First of all, I hope that the judges at the BGH will act in accordance with the Oath of Office for Judges set out in § 38 of the German Judiciary Act (DRiG) and “serve truth and justice alone”. I hope that in the near future a ruthlessly honest reckoning with the entire matter will become possible and that those actually responsible will be held to account.
I wish for doctors to be rehabilitated in this context.

For the future, I wish for a human family guided by values, morals, righteousness, incorruptibility, reliability, strength of character, integrity and humanity.

Chronological course

Chronology

Aug. 2020:
Began issuing mask exemptions for patients on health grounds
24/25.10.2020:
Newspaper article “Campaign against the mask” in “Fränkischer Tag”
End of November 2020:
Interrogation regarding mask certificates at the Nuremberg Criminal Investigation Department
26.01.2021:
Practice search, seizure of 531 patient files, practice appointment book, personal laptop and mirroring of the practice IT system
04.10.2023:
Indictment by the Nuremberg-Fürth Public Prosecutor’s Office under § 278 of the German Criminal Code (old version) (264 cases)
03.05.2023:
1st day of trial out of a total of 29, with more than 200 witness examinations and 2 court-appointed expert witnesses
31.05.2023:
Examined as a witness before the local court: administrative fine proceedings against a patient with a mask certificate for violation of the Assembly Act (he had received the certificate during a visit to the practice on the basis of credible, plausible anamnestic information without further examination). The proceedings were discontinued.
20.03.2024:
Last (29th) day of trial.
Sentence requested:
1 year and 6 months suspended, 10,000 euros fine, no further certificates for over 3 years.
Judgment:
150 daily fines of 100 euros each for false health certificates in 26 cases – 23 of them children. Acquittal on all other counts.
21.03.2024:
Appeal filed with the BGH
02.09.2024:
Appeal by the Nuremberg-Fürth Public Prosecutor’s Office for “violation of substantive law” (legally flawed acquittal in 26 cases due to lack of intent regarding the element “for use before an authority or insurance company”).
13.05.2026:
At 11:00 a.m., main hearing of the appeals of the defendant and the Public Prosecutor’s Office before the 6th Criminal Senate of the BGH in Leipzig against the judgment of 20 March 2024 at the Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court.
Note on responsibility

The information in this case report comes from the affected person themselves. The editorial team verifies whether a criminal or professional prosecution has taken place; it cannot verify the factual accuracy of every single statement. Responsibility for the correctness of the account lies with the respective author.

Back to directory Subscribe to RSS feed
Name
Wolfgang Urmetzer
Specialty
Anesthesiology
Additional qualifications
Naturopathic treatments, Acupuncture
Position
Owner of a specialist medical practice focusing on naturopathic treatments, TCM and integrative medicine, with a small patient base
Location
Nürnberg, Germany
Age
73 years
Practicing since
1986, seit 1998 in eigener Praxis
Persecuted since
November 2020 (erste Ladung ins Kriminalkommissariat wegen Maskenattesten)
Documented since
Apr 18, 2026
Status
Main hearing of appeals pending
Do you know this case?

Help us complete the documentation.

Submit information
Related documentation

More cases

Dr. med. Thomas Külken Case #0003
Dr. med. Thomas Külken
General medicine · Staufen i. Br., Germany

Accusation: Issuing 16 mask exemption certificates allegedly without personal examination

Appeal proceedings ended with a discontinuation against a condition (€4,000 to Doctors Without Borders) – no conviction, no admission of guilt. Second indictment (37 certificates) still open.
Read case
Dr. med. univ. Peer Eifler Case #0038
Dr. med. univ. Peer Eifler
General medicine · Bad Aussee, Austria

Accusation: More than a dozen criminal complaints, a threefold ban on practising, a house search and a frozen bank account follow…

Eleven of thirteen charges dropped; two allegations open, threefold ban on practising, in exile in East Africa
Read case
Dr. med. Lukas Trimmel Case #0001
Dr. med. Lukas Trimmel
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation · Wien, Austria

Accusation: Disciplinary proceedings by the Medical Chamber for allegedly false claims, although all were supported by sources

Ongoing proceedings, second hearing pending
Read case