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Federal judge leans toward jury trial in Rolling Stone defamation lawsuit over U-Va. rape article
Federal judge leans toward jury trial in Rolling Stone defamation lawsuit over U-Va. rape article
By T. Rees Shapiro
http://twitter.com/TReesShapiro
August 13
A federal judge in Charlottesville said in court Friday that a multi-million-dollar defamation lawsuit filed by a University of Virginia administrator against Rolling Stone magazine likely will proceed to trial later this year.
Nicole Eramo, who formerly served as an associate dean for U-Va. on sexual violence issues, filed the lawsuit in May 2015, claiming that Rolling Stone portrayed her as callous and indifferent to allegations of a gang rape publicized by the magazine in a 9,000-word story called “A Rape on Campus.”
The article, published online in November 2014, described the brutal and harrowing account of a student named Jackie, who described being gang raped in a fraternity house during the fall of 2012, her freshman year. She told a Rolling Stone reporter that seven men took turns assaulting her while two others watched, purportedly as part of a sadistic hazing ritual. Written by journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely, the account of Jackie’s gang-rape soon became a rallying cry nationwide for sexual assault prevention advocates. Activists held demonstrations in Charlottesville in front of the fraternity house named in the article, Phi Kappa Psi, which was vandalized with spray paint labeling the brick mansion as a “center for rape.”
....
Both Eramo and Rolling Stone filed motions for summary judgment in July; both parties have asked U.S. District Court Judge Glen E. Conrad to decide whether or not the case should move to trial in the fall.
....
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the amount of the lawsuit against Rolling Stone. Though online court records indicate the lawsuit is for $10 million, Nicole Eramo is seeking $7.5 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages, according to the complaint. The story has been updated.
By T. Rees Shapiro
http://twitter.com/TReesShapiro
August 13
A federal judge in Charlottesville said in court Friday that a multi-million-dollar defamation lawsuit filed by a University of Virginia administrator against Rolling Stone magazine likely will proceed to trial later this year.
Nicole Eramo, who formerly served as an associate dean for U-Va. on sexual violence issues, filed the lawsuit in May 2015, claiming that Rolling Stone portrayed her as callous and indifferent to allegations of a gang rape publicized by the magazine in a 9,000-word story called “A Rape on Campus.”
The article, published online in November 2014, described the brutal and harrowing account of a student named Jackie, who described being gang raped in a fraternity house during the fall of 2012, her freshman year. She told a Rolling Stone reporter that seven men took turns assaulting her while two others watched, purportedly as part of a sadistic hazing ritual. Written by journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely, the account of Jackie’s gang-rape soon became a rallying cry nationwide for sexual assault prevention advocates. Activists held demonstrations in Charlottesville in front of the fraternity house named in the article, Phi Kappa Psi, which was vandalized with spray paint labeling the brick mansion as a “center for rape.”
....
Both Eramo and Rolling Stone filed motions for summary judgment in July; both parties have asked U.S. District Court Judge Glen E. Conrad to decide whether or not the case should move to trial in the fall.
....
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the amount of the lawsuit against Rolling Stone. Though online court records indicate the lawsuit is for $10 million, Nicole Eramo is seeking $7.5 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages, according to the complaint. The story has been updated.
