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Whittemore Institute suing Mikovits for alleged theft of lab notebooks and data

Lee

Messages
82
"A little more than 1 month after firing Mikovits, the Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease (WPI) on 4 November filed suit against its former research director. According to WPI, after Mikovits was terminated on 29 September, she wrongfully removed laboratory notebooks and kept other proprietary information on her laptop and in flash drives and in a personal e-mail account. WPI, a nonprofit organization that's based on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno, also won a temporary restraining order that forbids Mikovits from "destroying, deleting, or altering" any of the related files or data."

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/11/lawsuit-filed-against-chronic-fatigue.html

Read the article - the notebooks have disappeared. JM denies having them. They aren't in the desk where she was known to keep them. No one else had a key to that desk.

Where's the data?
 

Deatheye

Senior Member
Messages
161
The statment that noone else had a key is a bit missleading. I don't know where anymore but somewhere on this forum someone posted a link where it was stated that the key was accessable for the emplyes cause mikovits was often somewhere else in the world and left the key in the building in case the people there needed access to here stuff.
EDIT AS kina says below, JMs laywers letter is what I mean.
AS an IT guy btw I can't understand how a research institute have importand data on a laptop ... Aside form stuff like stealing, what would they do if the HDD says byebye?... Actually what ever is going on in the end its the lack of IT concepts and bite them...
 
Messages
10,157
I personally think it's best to avoid making comments about this case at all. There has been a lot of speculation and sometimes libel on some forums and blogs. The only information that we have is 1. a statement from Ms. Mikovits lawyer and 2. a statement from Ms. Whittemore. There is no more. We can only speculate and opine about what these statements actually mean.
 

Jemal

Senior Member
Messages
1,031
I think there will be only losers in this conflict... the patients are definitely on the losing side.
 

Sing

Senior Member
Messages
1,782
Location
New England
I don't know what is going on. I am sorry that this has happened but I feel it is best to forbear from interpretation and analysis, and especially from drawing conclusions, which could easily be mistaken. Let's hope that the parties involved get back on their feet quickly and move ahead. What we need is research and progress, not more blame, fights and dead ends. Sometimes people have done something which is definitely wrong and other times what they have done is make mistakes. Even when people are engaging in blame and fighting, let's keep out of it.

It is like an inflamatory response. Let's keep it cool/
 

floydguy

Senior Member
Messages
650
I personally think it's best to avoid making comments about this case at all. There has been a lot of speculation and sometimes libel on some forums and blogs. The only information that we have is 1. a statement from Ms. Mikovits lawyer and 2. a statement from Ms. Whittemore. There is no more. We can only speculate and opine about what these statements actually mean.

What is the purpose of these forums? For well over 20 years ME (CFS) has been nothing but speculation, innuendo, terrible "science", etc. Methinks such comments are an attempt to squelch freedom of speech and encourage a status quo that has done little to advance our plight. Sounds like the CDC or Unum talking to me...
 
Messages
10,157
Originally Posted by Kina
I personally think it's best to avoid making comments about this case at all. There has been a lot of speculation and sometimes libel on some forums and blogs. The only information that we have is 1. a statement from Ms. Mikovits lawyer and 2. a statement from Ms. Whittemore. There is no more. We can only speculate and opine about what these statements actually mean.

What is the purpose of these forums? For well over 20 years ME (CFS) has been nothing but speculation, innuendo, terrible "science", etc. Methinks such comments are an attempt to squelch freedom of speech and encourage a status quo that has done little to advance our plight. Sounds like the CDC or Unum talking to me...

floydguy -- you asked the purpose of these forums. I think purpose is defined by individual users. Some come to give support, some come to receive support, some come for information, some come to give information, some come to advocate etc. There are many different purposes for this forum.

I am not attempting to squelch freedom of speech and encourage a status quo. There is a court case between WPI and Judy Mikovits. The only information from either party comes from Annette Whittemore in a blog post and Ms Mikovits' lawyer. Any other comments coming from individuals on blogs and forums is basically nothing but innuendo and speculation, that same innuendo and speculation that has been occuring for the past 20 years that you just mentioned. My comment actually had more to do with one thread about this case already being closed due to speculation and innuendo.

I am hoping that Judy Mikovits can continue her research at another lab very soon. I am hoping that the WPI also continues researching too. I am hoping that Lipkin does some deep sequencing and completes his two studies. I am not encouraging anything except basically what Sing said:

I don't know what is going on. I am sorry that this has happened but I feel it is best to forbear from interpretation and analysis, and especially from drawing conclusions, which could easily be mistaken. Let's hope that the parties involved get back on their feet quickly and move ahead. What we need is research and progress, not more blame, fights and dead ends. Sometimes people have done something which is definitely wrong and other times what they have done is make mistakes. Even when people are engaging in blame and fighting, let's keep out of it.
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Pity they could not talk to each other in the first place - academia I hear is sharing findings. The rest is pathetic.
 

floydguy

Senior Member
Messages
650
Okay. Perhaps I was a bit quick to jump the gun but I hate to see libel tossed around as a possible way to distract from what's going on. Personally, I am waiting for more information to come out. I think we can all agree that this whole thing is a mess and a shame - regardless of one's position on WPI's research.
 

kurt

Senior Member
Messages
1,186
Location
USA
Do we really need another thread where people speculate about a crime? I think we need to leave this topic alone until investigations are completed, particularly since there are forum members who know the involved/accused parties personally.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Hi, I agree with Kurt, its probably far better not to speculate on this. We don't have most of the facts and this is a legal issue unfolding. After the investigations are done, when we have some facts, then we might like to write about it. Bye, Alex
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
Whilst i do agree in principle with both Kurt and Alex i would like to point out that patients have been asked to donate money and precious energy to the cause of the WPI and i think if i am dontaing to a charitable cause no matter how laudable i would like to be certain everyone involved was acting appropriately. You cant ask people to be involved only when it suits and then tell them to butt out when it doesnt.
Just another POV, but i agree that specualtion is pointless, draining and possibly libelous so ill be quiet now.
All the best, Justy.