From today's decision by Judge Joun (D. Mass.) in Gino v. President & Fellows of Harvard College:
Professor Gino is an internationally renowned behavioral scientist, prolific author, researcher, and teacher who has received many awards and considerable media attention for her academic research regarding people's decision-making. She is currently employed by Harvard, as a tenured professor at the Harvard Business School ("HBS")….
The Data Colada Defendants are a trio of male professors and behavioral scientists who, since 2013, have published a blog called "Data Colada." In July 2021, the Data Colada Defendants approached HBS with concerns about perceived anomalies and alleged fraud in the data of four studies in academic articles authored by Professor Gino….
On June 13, 2023, … [HBS] Dean Datar informed Professor Gino that she was being placed on unpaid administrative leave for two years, that she would receive no salary or benefits after July 31, 2023, and that he would request the commencement of tenure revocation proceedings ….
Gino sued Harvard for breach of contract, defamation and related torts, and invasion of privacy, and also sued the Data Colada Defendants for defamation and related torts. The court allowed the breach of contract claim to go forward, based on allegations of various procedural irregularities in the way the Harvard investigation was conducted.
