Dallas-based CSI Litigation Consulting Firm Sues Competitor DecisionQuest for Plagiarizing Paper

DALLAS, Nov. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Courtroom Sciences Inc. (CSI), a litigation consulting and support firm founded by "Dr. Phil," has filed suit against competitor DecisionQuest, claiming the company plagiarized a CSI paper on trial tactics.

CSI was co-founded in 1990 by TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, best known for his work for Oprah Winfrey and his own TV show, but he is no longer affiliated with the consulting firm.

The disputed paper is entitled "A Brief Primer on the Reptile Theory of Trial Strategy: Plaintiff Psychology and the Defense Response." DecisionQuest's Ann T. Greeley, Ph.D., presented it at a 2015 American Bar Association conference, and it includes several key passages that appear word-for-word in two CSI papers written the year before.

Specifically, CSI's papers "Derailing the Reptile Safety Rule Attack: A Neurocognitive Analysis and Solution," and "Debunking and Redefining the Plaintiff Reptile Theory," were written by Senior Litigation Consultant and Vice President Bill Kanasky Jr., Ph.D. and published in 2014. Both papers detail innovative strategies defense attorneys should employ to defeat the use of the plaintiff "reptile" theory at deposition and trial. 

"Reptiles can be dangerous things," said attorney Rogge Dunn of Clouse Dunn in Dallas, who represents CSI. "And taking content that doesn't belong to you can be dangerous as well."

As an example of the similarities, the Kanasky/CSI paper includes the following passage:  

"Therefore, immediately giving jurors something else to blame (besides your client) is imperative to derailing the Reptile attack. Defense counsel needs to arm jurors with the 'real' story and immediately put the plaintiff and/or alternative causation on trial." 

Dr. Greeley's paper includes the exact same passage, with no citation, quotation, or acknowledgment of Dr. Kanasky's conclusion. 

In several other instances, the Greeley paper copies a sentence or series of sentences from the Kanasky papers, with only minor changes.

"I think that's rather stunning," Mr. Dunn said. "All of us learned in elementary school that you don't copy someone else's work. Copying to this degree is extraordinary."

The case is CSI Litigation Psychology, LLC vs. DecisionQuest, Inc., No. 3:16-cv-03255-G in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Courtroom Sciences, Inc. (CSI) is America's premier full-service litigation support company focusing on Litigation Psychology, presentation multimedia, deposition services and records retrieval. As a nationally recognized entity, CSI maintains a wide-ranging and diverse client base that includes Fortune 500 companies, insurance companies, law firms, and individuals. More information at http://www.courtroomsciences.com.

Rogge Dunn has tried cases to verdict in five states and obtained more than $1 billion in settlements and judgments for his clients. More information at http://www.cdklawyers.com/rogge_dunn.html.

For more information on the lawsuit against DecisionQuest, please contact Mark Annick at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].

SOURCE Courtroom Sciences, Inc.

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