Question

Why did mario brajuha refuse to turn over his research notes to the authorities even when subpoenaed?

Answer 1

The answer is he wanted to protect his respondents. He was a graduate student at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He was doing a participant observation of restaurant workers. He lost his job as a waiter when the restaurant where he was working burned down—a fire of “suspicious origin,” according to the police. When detectives learned that Brajuha had taken field notes, they requested to see them. Because he had sworn to keep the information confidential, Brajuha declined to hand them over. The district attorney then subpoenaed the notes. Brajuha still refused. The district attorney then blackmailed Brajuha to put in jail. By this time, Brajuha’s notes had become rather renowned, and unsavory characters—those who had set the fire—also desired to know what was in them. They, too, commanded to see them, associated their demands with threats of a different nature. Brajuha found himself between a rock and a hard place. For two years, Brajuha refused to hand over his notes, even though he grew nervous and had to appear at several court hearings. Finally, the district attorney dropped the subpoena because the two men died during investigation. The threats to Brajuha, his wife, and their children ended.