Deflategate report consulting firm has history of conflict of interests
The same company that did research for the Deflategate report also argued on behalf of the tobacco industry in 2010 that secondhand smoke doesn’t cause cancer, the Providence Journal reports.
In an article Monday, the newspaper looked into accusations that the firm, Exponent Inc., is a “hired gun’’ that issues findings in favor of its big-business clients.
An Exponent spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a call for comment Monday from Boston.com.
After the Deflategate report found that Patriots staff likely deflated balls with quarterback Tom Brady’s knowledge, Brady’s agent Don Yee said in a statement that “it is common knowledge in the legal industry that reports like this generally are written for the benefit of the purchaser.’’
The Journal examined several cases in which Exponent came to conclusions that helped its clients. Some more examples:
-In 2006, Exponent was paid $3.3 million by Georgia-Pacific and argued in a report that asbestos didn’t cause cancer, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
-Exponent conducted a report for Toyota to disprove claims that “sudden acceleration in its vehicles could be caused by problems in its electronics throttle systems.’’
-Exponent produced a study in 2009, backed by Chevron, disassociating the company’s toxic-chemical dumping in the Ecuadorian rainforest with cancer deaths in the area. But, the Journal said, “the study did not disclose that a member of Chevron’s board of directors was also the single largest shareholder in Exponent.’’
Read the full Providence Journal article here.
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