The Volokh Conspiracy
Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent
Scholar of Dishonesty Accused of Research Dishonesty Sues for Libel, Claiming Accusers Were Dishonest
Prof. Francesca Gino, a celebrated scholar studying dishonesty, was recently put on unpaid leave by Harvard, based on allegations that she had fabricated data in her studies; the allegations had been raised and discussed by three professors who run Data Colada (Uri Simonsohn of ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Leif Nelson of the University of California, Berkeley, and Joseph Simmons of the University of Pennsylvania). Yesterday, in Gino v. Harvard Univ., Gino sued Harvard for employment law violations (basically, discrimination and breach of contract) and both Harvard and Data Colada for libel. The complaint is long, and I won't try to summarize it in any more detail here; but those interested in the controversy (or in such controversies generally) may want to read it, of course recognizing that it's just Gino's side of the story. I expect to write more about this as the defendants raise their objections, likely in motions to dismiss.
