Spain's most prominent polygraph operator, José Antonio Fernández de Landa Roca, who appears on a television show called "La hora de la Verdad" (The Hour of Truth), has filed a defamation lawsuit against that country's leading polygraph critic, criminologist Miguel A. Gallardo. Landa's grievance against Gallardo apparently stems from the content of the following Spanish-language web page:

http://www.cita.es/poligrafos

While the lawsuit is of doubtful merit, it presents an opportunity to cast unwanted (by polygraphers, at least) light on the pseudoscience of polygraphy. Mr. Gallardo, who is fluent in English, would be interested in any legal advice as well as possible testimony concerning legality, honesty, and reasonableness of that which he has posted at the above-linked site.

Thank you for your kind message, George.

I want to offer some additional information about the lawsuit, and I shall be pleased to do my best in order to update the story here as well as replying to any question I am able to answer.

First of all, everybody can see that there is NO personal insults at http://www.cita.es/poligrafos
I am critic againts the machine, the business and the businessmen that in the Spanish polygraph showbusiness, but my words, sentences and style is polite and logic, not passional or agresive. I do not want to loose my sense of humor when I speak about the polygraph business even if there is a serious lawsuit and accusations against me. The language at the poligraph TV shows in Spain is much more offensive and unpolite that the one at http://www.cita.es/poligrafos  and the picture that I used is very well known because I linked the image directly to this Website. I do not think that any judge can consider anything like that picture seriously offensive, but who knows what can happen in a Court of Law on this matter?

Secondly, it is very relevant for the full story understanding that in Spain the most important private television channels, Antena 3 and Telecinco are broadcasting several poligraph shows 6 days/week, and the TV time spend to critics is less than 1% of the total for propaganda and show. Moreover, there is a very big market for famous Spanish polygraphers, some of the also working as detectives or private investigators and expert witness on graphology in Courts of Law (at the moment I have no reference of any legal procedure already using the polygraph in Spain but it seems that it could be the next step). I cut and paste some poligraph services advertisings in Spanish at http://www.cita.es/poligrafistas

There are several kind of victims. Jealous people contract Spanish polygraphers for a 2 hour work in a hotel for 1.000 euros. And there is many young students paying for useless courses. I wrote about them at http://www.cita.es/poligrafo

After the lawsuit, I wrote about Fernandez de Landa legal action in my personal Website at http://www.miguelgallardo.es/poligrafos

My small engineering services limited company will support me on legal expenses, because I am the owner, but the point now is what the television channel Antena 3 and the show company Boomerang TV that produces the poligraph show of Fernandez de Landa will do. It is not the same for me to legally fight against just a polygrapher or against a big company that is in the Spanish Stock Excahnge IBEX-35. I seriously suggested to use the polygraph in order to check the accounts and audits of Antena 3, but I have even worse ideas if any TV spports Fernandez de Landa against me publicly. I hope the judge will understand that.

Please, if you can read Spanish, have a look to http://www.miguelgallardo.es/poligrafos

Do not hesitate to contact me for any question, correction or suggestion. I am very open for contacts abroad. I feel that some sociopathological shows can be neutralized only if there is international help with better ideas and more serious references then the ones you can see in Spanish televisions right now on this topic.

Sincerely,

Miguel A. Gallardo, at http://www.miguelgallardo.es
and http://www.cita.es
From Madrid, Spain

This is Miguel Gallardo, now Dr. (PhD) Gallardo, but I was just an engineer and criminologist when that story heppened. Yesterday I received a kind message askIng me for updated information about the lawsuit. I can say this:
1. That stupid, pretentious and fatuous plaintiff was completely dismissed by the Court, but I take seriously the malice of the "famous polygrapher" attorney and I sent a letter to his lawyers bar association (Colegio de Abogados) with a complaint that was very problematic for them for a long time (I have never met any lawyer that can afford not to lie but I did my best to make very expensive for them that story).

2. The polygraph examiner tried to work as an expert witness in a serious criminal procedure even using his machine in prison. I wrote to the public prosecutor and to the Court to explain the danger of a judge in trust in an individual with no university qualification and his magical show. The final sentence was very clear considering the polygraph as illegal and unreliable in any way. About that sad and unfortunate story I published 
http://www.miguelgallardo.es/sumario.pdf

3. The power of the polygraph obviously was on television, because people who are unable to read anything believe anything they say on TV. I wrote to the president and CEO of Antena 3 TV (A3 now average) suggesting using the polygraph expert in company accounting managers and also with those who had contracted the polygraph to appear on TV. A few weeks after the polygraph failed to appear, until today. 

I think this last idea may be valid for all televisions that give prominence and false credibility to a show without grace, honest art or intelligence. I like the magical illusionism (I am a member of a magician club) but I hate mass deceptions. I recommend to investigate those who hire and pay polygraph in any public show at least as much as the polygraph investigate its critics, as that one had investigated me. No decent employer pays for cheating massively anyhow.

Dr. (PhD) Eng. Miguel Gallardo, criminologist and expert witness for Courts of Law
CV at http://www.miguelgallardo.es/audio.pdf