Nicholas Carroll, a veteran public relations and marketing expert, has been writing and editing news, analysis, and advertising since 1994. He has been a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, the Times of London, the Toronto Globe and Mail, and a columnist for Southam syndicate. He is a contributing writer at the Huffington Post, has appeared in print and on air hundreds of times, and is a guest on national radio and TV venues including AP Radio, PBS, WABC, WOR, WGN, KGO, KABC, and CNBC, as well as the BBC and Canadian CBC and CTV. He has written three published books on law, defamation, and intellectual property.

Carroll worked directly for the founders and administrators of the internet, and his experience in online communications and defamation begins in the 1980s, with experience in search engine optimization and social media (SM) beginning in 1994. He was one of the first in the U.S to pioneer e-commerce and the analysis of website visitors for commercial purposes and the understanding of users’ online behavior.

Author of dozens of articles on reputation and defamation, he is recognized as an expert in image communications and reputation management by national and foreign media, and is interviewed and quoted by The New York Times and other major daily newspapers.

While acting as an expert witness, Nicholas Carroll has been the named expert in approximately 35 cases, deposed 16 times, and testified at trial 5 times.

Defamation Consulting, Litigation Support, and Testimony

Dominion vs. Fox News litigation. Consulted for the Dominion voting machines’ attorneys, advising them on encryption and security.

Federal Trade Commission. Served in an advisory role in FTC investigations and litigation against defective automobiles, along with violations of FTC “money back” rules, and the first telephone bill “cramming” schemes in the late 1990s.

The Great Recession. Carroll was interviewed by USA Today about the impact of the Great Recession on average Americans and was quoted extensively in the top story on page A1.

Major league sports controversy. The allegations were of major league betting and fixing games – Carroll’s trial testimony ended the controversy.

Mainstream media liability. Advised plaintiff’s attorneys that an accidental broadcast of a racial slur was a meritorious case. The plaintiff pressed, and the jury awarded the plaintiff $10+ million.

Anonymous online defamation. Worked with forensic reputation management firms to track down anonymous trolls after the growth of social media in the mid-2000s.

Gender issues. Defined lawsuit case strategy for a major Midwestern financial company accused of LGBTQ favoritism and “gay grooming.”

Health issues. Was lead editor and writer for the Stanford India Health Policy Initiative, practicing proactive crisis management to promote Stanford’s long-term health goals.

Racial issues. Wrote a report on Stigma+ and civil rights discrimination that was cited and accepted by a U.S. District Court, immediately ending a lawsuit against a school district.

E-commerce and social media. As a Senior Consulting Web Analyst at IBM, Carroll analyzed internet traffic from search engines and social media platforms, and was in charge of extracting and analyzing social media data as well as buying social media feeds.

Auto rental industry. Made going-forward analysis of economic damages for the continuing issue of auto rental companies’ mis-reporting vehicle as stolen, resulting in legitimate renters being arrested as criminals.

Freedom of press issues. A mainstream news venue sensationalized an accident by reporting it as a “gangland homicide.” An expert report by Carroll resulted in the venue promptly settling with the plaintiff and deleting the allegations from their website.

Student housing issues. A State University of New York campus was in an uproar about “back-room deals” with developers – but Carroll’s investigation showed poor journalism practices had created the story.

Sexual harassment issues. A high school coach was accused of inappropriate touching by a student and their family. After Carroll’s report and his trial testimony the allegations were publicly withdrawn and the student’s family settled with the coach.

Cases where Carroll provided reports, testimony, or litigation support:

• Umpire Joe West “Bad Call” Allegations
• Congressional Representative Alan Grayson Case
• George Clinton “Godfather of Funk” Defamation Case
• Baltimore Municipal District Wrongful Termination Case
• Romantic Times Publishing “Male Model” Dispute
• SUNY Buffalo State University Student Housing Uproar
• “A Better Way” Challenge to BBB Online Reviews
• Marroquin Online “Fake Photo” Trial
• Charles Schwab “False Light” Allegations
• Damon Dash Filming Controversy