 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Information Technology |
| Predecessor | Institute for Law and Social Research (1973−1981) |
| Founded | Washington, D.C., U.S. (January 1981) |
| Founder | William Anthony Hamilton |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Products | CJIS MODULAW PROMIS |
| Website | inslawinc |
Inslaw, Inc. is a Washington, D.C.–based information technology company that markets case management software for corporate and government users. Inslaw is known for developing PROMIS, an early case management software system. It is also known for a lawsuit that it brought against the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in 1986 over PROMIS, alleging that the Justice Department had dishonestly conspired to "drive Inslaw out of business 'through trickery, fraud and deceit'" by withholding payments to Inslaw and then pirating the software.[1]
Inslaw won damages in bankruptcy court, but these were overturned on appeal. The suit resulted in several Justice Department internal reviews, two Congressional investigations, the appointment of a special counsel by Attorney General William P. Barr, and a lengthy review of the special counsel's report under Attorney General Janet Reno. Inslaw's claims were finally referred by Congress to the Court of Federal Claims in 1995, and the dispute ended with the Court's ruling against Inslaw in 1998. During the 12-year long legal proceedings, Inslaw accused the Department of Justice of conspiring to steal its software, attempting to drive it into Chapter 7 liquidation, using the stolen software for covert intelligence operations against foreign governments, and involvement in a murder. These accusations were eventually rejected by the special counsel and the Court of Federal Claims.
- ^ Jeffrey A. Frank (1992). "The INSLAW FILE". Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017.