Case Study

An established professor at a major east coast university approached Thaler Liebeler with a problem. He had been accused of plagiarism after preparing a scientific research paper. He tried to handle the university inquiry and subsequent investigation by himself. He admitted that the allegations were technically true, but argued that the material used was non-substantive background material and not a part of his actual research or conclusions. He hoped that the university would consider the trivial nature of his transgression in comparison to his long and distinguished academic career. However, everything began to unravel for the Ph.D. researcher. The university informed him that he would be terminated, despite the fact he was tenured.

A 20-year Career

When he called upon Thaler Liebeler, the career he had spent over twenty years cultivating was in serious jeopardy. Worse, he had a wife and young children at home. They were settled, loved their home and town, and did not want to be uprooted. The researcher was at risk of not being able to work in his chosen field any longer, having to uproot his family and having to look for a new job.

The lawyers at Thaler Liebeler critically analyzed and evaluated the situation. They determined that there had been several serious procedural flaws in the university’s investigation. Thaler Liebeler lawyers demanded that the university withdraw its letter of termination and hold a trial before the University Senate. After a day-long trial in which many witnesses were called, including several of the highest-ranking members of the university administration, Thaler Liebeler scored a dramatic victory for the client. The termination was defeated. The university professor remains at the university to this day.

        Principles

• Scientific or research misconduct allegations include charges of plagiarism, falsification of data, misuse of federal funds, and other similar issues.
• Scientists accused of misconduct have many rights to a fair process to ensure a thorough examination of the issues as well as protecting confidentiality. 
• Those accused risk serious damage to their reputation in the scientific community and perhaps risk the destruction of their career.     

        Experience

• Paul S. Thaler is recognized across the United States for his work in scientific misconduct matters.  He has assisted scientists in many states including cases in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Colorado, California, New York, Washington, Utah, North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Tennessee as well as Canada and has become well-known in the scientific community for obtaining successful results for his clients.    
• When hiring a lawyer to represent you in such a specialized field, be sure to ask whether he or she has handled cases of this nature before.  Thaler Liebeler’s extensive experience in this field makes the firm uniquely qualified to handle challenging scientific misconduct cases.
• Paul S. Thaler is himself an adjunct professor (at American University since 1999) and is sensitive to the issues confronting professors.

Related Topics

Litigation
Employment
Arbitration
Scientific Misconduct