University's suit claims Alzheimer's scientist conspired to take study data with him to new employer
A noted Alzheimer’s researcher’s leap to a new university has spawned a lawsuit that claims he conspired to take data, federal funding and employees along with him.
The suit filed by the University of California at San Diego takes aim at neuroscientist Paul Aisen and his new university, the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune report. Aisen headed the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study, which was based at UC San Diego and funded by the National Institute on Aging. He will lead a new Alzheimer’s research institute for USC in San Diego.
The suit (PDF) claims Aisen and others took control of data from the cooperative study, and they did not give UC San Diego a password to access it. The suit alleges interference with contract, breach of fiduciary duty and the duty of loyalty, conversion of data, computer crimes and civil conspiracy.
Aisen released a statement that says both USC and UC San Diego have access to the data in the cloud, and UC San Diego also has a “mirror database” on its own supercomputer, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports in a separate story.
“I have devoted the last 20 years of my career to the ADCS, which in essence operates independently of UCSD,” Aisen said. “I strongly believe that USC offers the best environment for this research program to prosper and grow, regardless of what it may be called in the end. This lawsuit is more about affiliation with an institution than about the protection and support of Alzheimer’s research.”
USC also denied wrongdoing. “We are surprised and disappointed that the University of California San Diego elected to sue its departing faculty member and his team, as well as USC, rather than manage this transition collaboratively, as is the well-accepted custom and practice in academia,” USC said in a statement.
Hat tip to TaxProf Blog.
