Cancer researcher Carlo Croce is suing the New York Times, following its March article that reported on research misconduct allegations he has faced, Retraction Watch reports.
Croce's work at Ohio State University has focused on the role of genetics and microRNAs in cancer and won numerous accolades, but the Times had noted that he had also been the subject of whistleblower accusations. It added that he'd been cleared by Ohio State in five cases, and that Croce had denied wrongdoing and had attributed some errors to "honest mistakes."
Now, Croce is suing the Times for defamation, according to Retraction Watch's Andrew Han. (Han is a former GW staffer.) In a civil suit filed in the spring, Croce and his attorneys argue that the article was "riddled with venomous and defamatory falsehoods" and that the suit seeks "to remedy those falsehoods, to prove the truth, and to restore Dr. Croce's good name."
Han adds that the suit also takes issue with how the Times counted the number of papers of Croce's that have been retracted — the Times placed it at least 20. But the lawsuit says that that number includes papers on which Croce was a middle author and didn't supervise the work and thus aren't his papers.
The Times filed a motion to dismiss this summer, Han notes.