Daily Kos, Research 2000 Reach Settlement In Lawsuit
The progressive website Daily Kos and their erstwhile pollster Research 2000 have reached a settlement in the lawsuit filed by Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas that accused Research 2000 of fabricating polls it conducted for the site.
According to the Huffington Post, which first reported the settlement, Research 2000 president Del Ali's attorney has only recently started making cash payments to Moulitsas in order to ensure compliance with the settlement.
Ali confirmed to Hotline On Call that the parties had settled the lawsuit, and he said in an e-mail that "neither side admits to any wrong doing [sic]." Moulitsas told Hotline On Call he would let the court document speak for itself, even when told that Ali said neither party admitted wrongdoing.
In June 2010, Moulitsas published a report by three readers he describes as "statistics wizards" that he said showed "quite convincingly" that Research 2000, based in Olney, Md., was manufacturing the results of weekly national polls.
"Based on the report of the statisticians, it's clear that we did not get what we paid for," Moulitsas wrote.
"We were defrauded by Research 2000, and while we don't know if some or all of the data was fabricated or manipulated beyond recognition, we know we can't trust it. Meanwhile, Research 2000 has refused to offer any explanation."
Moulitsas filed a lawsuit against Research 2000 the following day.
A "joint status report" filed with the U.S. District Court in California this week and obtained by the Huffington Post indicates that Ali made an initial payment of $9,000 "on or about April 12," and has pledged to make additional payments by June 1 and June 15 "in an effort to improve compliance with the agreed-upon terms."
Ali said the lawsuit and media attention it engendered "has hurt business," but "hopefully not indefinitely." In an e-mail, he provided Hotline On Call with a "Client Bill of Rights" that included a promise from Research 2000 to provide data files to their clients and the National Council on Public Polls -- though the e-mail incorrectly abbreviated that organization's name as "NCCP" in each reference. Ali declined to disclose the names of any of his current clients.
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