Qui Custodiat Custodiens?

Charles Cowan, Managing Partner, Analytic Focus, USA

Almost every business engages in quality control as part of its day-to-day operations. This can be a boon to your business, or it can be a horrible problem when litigation is filed against your company. Your business may have quality control operations, but are they used for real change? Is quality control just a means of ticking a box to say everything is perfect? In litigation, particularly cases involving harm to a person, massive losses to an investor, violations of Federal or local regulations, or any other claim that relates to your business practices, quality control can be a defence that you took all reasonable precautions, or it can be a tool for opposing counsel to demonstrate anything from laxity to out-and-out fraud. This article covers some of the ways quality control becomes a quality argument for plaintiffs alleging something nefarious in your business operations.

Charles D. Cowan is Managing Partner of Analytic Focus LLC. Dr. Cowan has 40 years of experience in statistical research and design. He consults for the public and private sector on the design, implementation, and evaluation of research. He was Chief of Survey Design for the US Bureau of the Census and Chief Statistician for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He has testified at trial and in depositions more than 150 times.

Analytic Focus LLC specializes in financial, economic, demographic, and statistical research. Our principals are skilled practitioners; Ph.D.s with decades of experience working in academia, industry, and regulation. Our focus is on providing insight regarding business problems, exceptional value in interpretation of data, and scholarship on best practices