Trust me, I've got a lot of experience in this area.

For almost four years, the University of Minnesota covered up findings that Dr. Barry Garfinkel knew about and participated in scientific misconduct, including fraud, in a drug study, according to a report obtained Wednesday.

As recently as last August the University said it had found no evidence of intentional wrongdoing by the psychiatrist. The University had claimed repeatedly that Garfinkel was merely negligent in supervising the research.

But a November 1989 report by the university's official investigating committee flatly stated that Garfinkel, a nationally recognized expert in teen suicide, had taken part in fabricating records about one patient, either knew or should have known about other falsification of data and failed to correct widespread misconduct in the study. 

The 65-page report, which was kept secret, was released to the Star Tribune yesterday by court order after the newspaper sued the university for access to the Garfinkel file.

 Source: Garfinkel Case at the University of Minnesota 


And who was the General Counsel at the University of Minnesota when it took a lawsuit to make the internal university report public?

University general counsel Mark Rotenberg said yesterday that "the university categorically rejects any insinuation that we covered up any of the serious problems with the Anafranil study."

 Source: Garfinkel Case at the University of Minnesota  

Trust me, I'm a lawyer...

Which leads to the obvious question: With this track record, why should we trust the office of the General Counsel to conduct a fair and impartial investigation in the Markingson case?

The General Counsel is the lawyer for the university and has an obvious conflict of interest in this matter. 

Thus it is imperative that an investigation be done that is independent of his office. 

If you are reading this and have not yet signed the petition to Governor Dayton asking for an independent investigation of the Markingson case, please consider doing so. More information and an opportunity to sign the petition may be found here.