Lawsuit alleges cover up

Published: Monday, March 6, 1995

Former professor claims colleagues copied his work

By Gil Hopenstand

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

A former UCLA radiology professor has filed a lawsuit accusing four people and the University of California Regents of academic plagiarism and of covering up its occurrence.

In the suit, Bobby Weinberg claims radiology professors Bruce Ho and H. (Bernie) Huang conspired to plagiarize his work in a 1991 article published in "Computer Medical Imaging and Graphics."

According to court documents, Weinberg said he was requested to "contribute" to an article written by Ho and edited by Huang. The lawsuit alleged that Huang and Ho knowingly copied seven pages of Weinberg's work verbatim, yet never attributed Weinberg as a contributing writer in the article, titled "Automatic Acquisition Interfaces for Computerized Radiology, CT, MR, US and Laser Scanner."

When he brought it to the attention of Hooshang Kangarloo, the radiology department chair, and Sidney Golub, then the medical school dean, Weinberg stated that they repeatedly ignored his demands to remedy the situation.

"They always said they were serious (about investigating) but I always knew they would do nothing about it," said Weinberg, who now lives in Oregon.

Kangarloo, Ho and Huang, who is now at UC San Francisco, all refused to comment until the lawsuit is settled. Golub, the executive vice chancellor at UC Irvine since July, did not return The Bruin's calls.

UCLA initiated its own inquiry into the matter beginning in April 1992, documents showed. Golub appointed an ad-hoc committee from the medical school to investigate the complaints, but reportedly took no action against the alleged plagiarizers.

Then, in January 1993, records detailed that the Academic Senate's committee on privilege and tenure began looking into the matter. Norm Abrams, vice chancellor of academic personnel, received the senate's report but had previously said he could not comment because of the confidential nature of the findings.

In June 1993, Weinberg's employment as a visiting professor at UCLA was terminated, which he believes was the result of his persistent pursuit for redresses from the department.

"There were two acts of retaliation. One was committed by Huang, who dropped me from my grant and removed me from my project, including tools I developed myself. The second was committed by Kangarloo, when he withdrew all his support from my research and did not extend my contract," Weinberg explained. "The coincidence with Kangarloo's notes to me make it very clear that this is retaliation."

Anne Weills, Weinberg's attorney, agreed that "the retaliation is clear."

"Kangarloo didn't want someone ethical and principled like Bobby (Weinberg) there," she said.

Weills described a negative stigma attached to university employees forced to resign.

"It destroyed his career. If you're forced out of UCLA, a prestigious medical school, you're dead," she said.

Weinberg described that since his departure from UCLA, he has been unable to find work in academia and has lost his "professional identity."

Maryanne Schimmelfenig, the attorney for the university and possibly the faculty as well, explained that the case proceedings were delayed because it was previously filed in Alameda County and only recently transferred to the Los Angeles court system.

"It was filed in the wrong venue. It should be in L.A. County. Whether it's in the proper venue in downtown (L.A.) or Santa Monica is a legal issue that has not been settled," she said, adding that she "will defend against it vigorously."

No trial date has yet been determined, but both lawyers agreed that the trial could begin in a year or more.