{"id":3175,"date":"2015-05-21T18:14:36","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T23:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/?p=3175"},"modified":"2015-05-26T13:30:28","modified_gmt":"2015-05-26T18:30:28","slug":"climate-blogger-sued-for-2-million-for-tortious-interference-with-contract-and-conspiracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/2015\/05\/21\/climate-blogger-sued-for-2-million-for-tortious-interference-with-contract-and-conspiracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Blogger Sued for $2 Million for \u201cTortious Interference with Contract\u201d and \u201cConspiracy\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

In the newest variation of legal attacks on climate science, tandem lawsuits were filed against climate science blogger and computer scientist\u00a0John Mashey,[1]<\/a> in retaliation for his work to uncover academic misconduct by several researchers who disputed widely-accepted findings on global warming. \u00a0(There is a\u00a097% scientific consensus\u00a0that man-made climate change is happening.[2]<\/a>)\u00a0 Two of these researchers, Edward Wegman and Yasmin Said, served Mashey with complaints this spring, claiming that Mashey\u2019s work connecting them with\u00a0plagiarism, falsifications, errors, and funding misuse[3]<\/a> constituted \u201ctortious interference with contract\u201d and \u201cconspiracy\u201d \u2014 and claiming that because of this, he owed them millions of dollars in damages.<\/p>\n

Wegman and Said were among the authors of the 2006 \u201cWegman Report,\u201d which has since been discredited by\u00a0Mashey[4]<\/a> and[5]<\/a>\u00a0many[6]<\/a>\u00a0others,[7]<\/a> and which was originally commissioned by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) as part of\u00a0a Congressional investigation of climate scientists.[8]<\/a>\u00a0 Subsequent work by Wegman and Said, based on the Wegman Report, was later retracted for plagiarism[9]<\/a>\u00a0and the investigations themselves were criticized as \u201cpolitical intimidation.\u201d[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In their lawsuits, Wegman and Said claimed that because Mashey had voiced his findings of plagiarism and misconduct regarding the Wegman Report and other work, and otherwise \u201cinjured [their] reputation[s],\u201d they were \u201cforced to resign\u201d from positions as editors of an academic journal, causing them to lose profits \u201cas well as the ability to edit and publish, and the professional prestige and credibility such a position entails.\u201d\u00a0 Wegman and Said sought an astonishing $2 million in economic and punitive damages from Mashey, plus reimbursement for their legal fees.<\/p>\n

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund stepped in to pay Mashey\u2019s legal defense costs, which totaled over $15,000.\u00a0 Sadly, legal bills in the tens of thousands of dollars \u2013 or more \u2013 are not uncommon for those subjected to harassing legal attacks, not to mention the substantial time drains and mental anguish such litigation can cause defendants (especially in cases that drag on for years, as is often the case).\u00a0 Mashey\u2019s litigation also illustrates that the entire climate science community is at risk for becoming collateral damage in the \u201cstreet fight\u201d[11]<\/a> on climate science.<\/p>\n

There is a silver lining here:\u00a0 several weeks after Mashey\u2019s attorneys filed dual motions to dismiss, and days before a court-scheduled hearing on the matter, both Wegman and Said withdrew their complaints against Mashey.\u00a0 The withdrawals were filed without explanation and \u201cwithout prejudice,\u201d meaning the plaintiffs may re-file at any time, a very real danger \u2013 but it also means that Mashey is no longer being subjected to the hassles and expenses of active litigation.<\/p>\n

For more on John Mashey\u2019s case, please check out his blog post on the experience here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information on attacks on scientists, please visit https:\/\/climatesciencedefensefund.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Lauren Kurtz is the Executive Director of the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. \u00a0A modified\u00a0version of this post appeared here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.desmogblog.com\/user\/484<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> https:\/\/climate.nasa.gov\/scientific-consensus\/<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> https:\/\/www.desmogblog.com\/foia-facts-1-more-misdeeds<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> https:\/\/www.csicop.org\/si\/show\/strange_problems_in_the_wegman_report\/<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> https:\/\/usatoday30.usatoday.com\/weather\/climate\/globalwarming\/2010-11-21-climate-report-questioned_N.htm<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> https:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v473\/n7348\/full\/473419b.html<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> https:\/\/www.americanscientist.org\/issues\/pub\/2013\/3\/to-throw-away-data-plagiarism-as-a-statistical-crime<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> https:\/\/content.usatoday.com\/communities\/sciencefair\/post\/2010\/11\/wegman-report-round-up\/1#.VV5kR0_BwXC<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> https:\/\/usatoday30.usatoday.com\/weather\/climate\/globalwarming\/2011-05-15-climate-study-plagiarism-Wegman_n.htm<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-dyn\/content\/article\/2005\/07\/21\/AR2005072102186.html<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> https:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v464\/n7286\/full\/464141a.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the newest variation of legal attacks on climate science, tandem lawsuits were filed against climate science blogger and computer scientist\u00a0John Mashey,[1] in retaliation for his work to uncover academic misconduct by several researchers who disputed widely-accepted findings on global warming. \u00a0(There is a\u00a097% scientific consensus\u00a0that man-made climate change is happening.[2])\u00a0 Two of these researchers, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1475,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5673],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3175","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-litigation","7":"czr-hentry"},"yoast_head":"\nClimate Blogger Sued for $2 Million for \u201cTortious Interference with Contract\u201d and \u201cConspiracy\u201d - 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