La Crosse Purposes

Anyone who has an interest in the Andrew Wakefield debacle also knows who Brian Deer is.  Mr. Deer is giving a talk at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 4 and 5 October 2012 and that has the Wakefield worshippers in a collective apoplexy.  What is particularly striking about the current Deer versus Wakefield affair is where the latter has been relegated to.

Wakefield was once the darling of media outlets.  But after his demise following the GMC Fitness to Practise Proceeding and the determination of over forty counts of serious professional misconduct, his ouster from the former Thoughtful House (now Johnson Center for Child Health and Development) and subsequent British Medical Journal series by Brian Deer chronicling Wakefield's fraudulent activities, Wakefield is deservedly reduced to wallowing in the dregs.

Brian Deer gets invites to speak at notable universities and societies and wins press awards whilst Wakefield has been reduced to giving interviews to paranoid conspiracy-theorists Alex Jones and Mike Adams, nipping at Brian Deer's heels in the form of failed lawsuits and now appearing in little park sheds with a capacity of 40, a mile away from where Mr. Deer will be presenting to crowds numbering in the hundreds.

That has to sting.  And for your visual entertainment, this is where Wakefield will be:

Myrick Gun Club, La Crosse, Wisconsin.  Capacity: 40.  Cost: $140/day.

(Photo courtesy of: http://jamielynnbuehner.blogspot.com/2012/04/4-my-steers-family.html)

And it looks like it might be a rainy day for the Wakefield fans.  Too bad.

This is where Brian Deer will be presenting:

 

Centennial Hall and Clock Tower, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.  Capacity: 250.

Just go away Wakefield; you aren't relevant any longer and you certainly haven't done a damn thing to help benefit the autism community.  It's a shame that people with more money than brains don't recognise Wakefield for being the unscrupulous money-suck he is and can't seem to find themselves legitimate figures to identify with.

Wakefield Files Appeal in Texas

Thanks to Narad on Respectful Insolence we now have confirmation that Andy Wakefield has filed his appeal in the Texas Third Court of Appeals.  Wakefield's libel suit against Brian Deer, Fiona Godlee and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) was dismissed in August 2012 on jurisdictional grounds.  Of course we will be keeping an eye on this case.

Wakefied Defamation Suit Dismissed

Earlier this year, just shy of the statute of limitations, Andrew Wakefield launched a curious defamation lawsuit against the British Medical Journal (BMJ), journalist Brian Deer and the BMJ editor Fiona Godlee.  His sad rump of disciples even set up a "Wakefield Justice Fund" so supporters could give Wakefield money to pursue the lawsuit. It was curious because Texas, where the suit was filed had just implemented a strong anti-SLAPP statute, Wakefield is a British citizen, the BMJ a British publication and Deer and Godlee also British citizens, and curious because Wakefield has tried to sue Brian Deer before but failed miserably.

Wakefield's defamation suit has been dismissed on jurisdictional grounds.  Wakefield vows to appeal however:

Wakefield, who is 55 and lives in Austin, vowed to pursue it. “We think we have a very good argument, and we plan to appeal,” he said.

The harm caused by Wakefield's fraud will never be fully undone.  Although it is apparent that many have distanced themselves from him and if nothing else, Wakefield's antics provide copious blog fodder and a lesson to others.