In a legal dispute that focused on an accused doctor’s right to remain silent, an appeals court has upheld the license revocation of a South Florida physician who punctured internal organs of two patients while performing liposuction procedures.

A three-judge panel of the First District Court of Appeal ruled Friday against physician Osakatukei Omulepu, who argued that his constitutional rights had been violated when an administrative law judge took into account his refusal to testify during a hearing. The administrative law judge’s findings ultimately led to the Board of Medicine deciding last year to revoke Omulepu’s medical license.