Discovery & Academic Freedom

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports here on a tobacco suit in which the defendant R.J. Reynoldss's lawyers are seeking discovery of a Stanford professor's unfinished, unpublished manuscript of a book on the tobacco industry.  Professor Robert Proctor, the author, has refused to produce the manuscript, claiming that the book ought not be discoverable until it is in final form.  "They can see it when it's finished,' he said, and he claimed that release of the unfinished manuscript, which contains his "private thoughts," would "cause damage to [his] professional credibility and professional standing as this manuscript is a work-in-progress and does not represent completed and fact-checked research."

(Hat Tip to Marjorie Silver)

~clf