In the unlikely event that the vendor were foolish enough to sue, they would
open themselves to a counter suit on your part.  Most juries would find that
the vendor had "conspired to violate your civil rights."  
At least one national magazine (GUN TESTS) routinely reports on the
performance of a single random sample of a product.  Since they have
honestly reported the performance of that sample, the principle of "truth is
sufficient defense against slander" applies.  Occasionally a manufacturer
will write to them to complain that a single sample is not truly
representative, but I haven't heard of things going beyond that.

Allen A. Smith, Ph.D.
Barry University
School of Graduate Medical Sciences
    Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
Miami Shores, Florida  33161-6695 

-----Original Message-----
From: JOE NOCITO [mailto:JNOCITO@satx.rr.com]
Sent: Monday, March 04, 2002 6:20 PM
To: HistoNet Server
Subject: Struck a Nerve


It appears that my last response to the Histonet struck a nerve in a certain
vendor.  That vendor contacted my employer this morning.
    One of the great things I love about the Histonet is the freedom to tell
our opinions, thoughts and experiences openly and honestly.  However, how
open can we be when vendors start calling employers about postings on the
Histonet?
    If that was an attempt to keep me quiet, or not to give my opinions,
that was a big mistake.  I will continue to place my input on the Histonet
unless I'm otherwise instructed not to, by the administrators of this forum.
    My response was an honest explanation of my experiences. No malice was
intended.  I just reported my experiences in an honest, open manner.
    What kind of a relationship can be built with a vendor if one cannot
express their experiences openly and honestly?  I say not a  very good one.
    As usual, the opinions of this editorial are the sole responsibility of
the author and no way reflects the views of the employer or its associates.
Thank you

Joe Nocito, BS, HT (ASCP) QIHC
Histology Manager
Pathology Reference Lab
San Antonio, Texas