It just didn't seem possible that a corporation would be able to do this. I'm outraged and frightened that this action on behalf of a corporation has the ability to intimidate scholars about speaking publicly on these important issues. Academics at home are watching the Bronfenbrenner case closely. It also could quiet our efforts to disseminate our findings. The public service component of our school is very strong.
Scholars have an obligation to share their findings in a way that they can be understood widely.
Bronfenbrenner's outrage and Lawler's concern also is shared by hundreds of academics around the world. I think the situation has touched a nerve and has awakened the consciousness of hundreds of scholars who are afraid of the precedent this would set. Whether you do research on the tobacco or food products industry, now there is concern that anyone who researches corporate behavior and reports it to the public is vulnerable to a lawsuit. Kate participated in their forum as a respected academic to give her professional opinion, and now she's facing a lawsuit apparently as part of Beverly's efforts to intimidate and silence critics who dare to speak out against the company's well-documented labor practices. Cornell has a defense and indemnification policy that provides legal counsel under some circumstances to university employees who are sued.