An AIDS researcher at the University of Washington altered images and falsified data, according to a 2003 report that recommended he be banned from ever working there again and that was disclosed only after The Seattle Times fought a legal battle to obtain the document.

The report, which was based on a 16-month investigation by the university, said that the scientist, Scott J. Brodie, a research assistant professor, had fabricated data in 15 instances, including manipulating an image of a single cell into “two distinct images presented as different types of cells” to support his paper’s findings. Some of his data were published in scientific journals.

Oddly enough, despite the fraud, other scientists have confirmed Mr. Brodie’s findings. But in 2002, a researcher reviewing the work discovered inconsistencies and reported them to the federal Office of Research Integrity, which, in turn, notified the university.

The report was not released until now because Mr. Brodie had sued both the university and the newspaper to block its disclosure. A judge ruled for The Seattle Times last week. Mr. Brodie, who resigned from the university in 2003, now lives and works on the East Coast, but the newspaper could reach neither him nor his lawyer for comment.

The university submitted the report’s findings to federal authorities, who are in the process of their own investigation. —Mary Andom