University of Virginia Dean Sues Rolling Stone Magazine Over Libelous Story

University of Virginia (UVA) Associate Dean of Students Nicole Eramo is suing Rolling Stone Magazine over a story written by freelance writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely about an alleged gang rape on campus, which Eramo alleged harmed her career, according to media reports.

WASHINGTON, May 13 (Sputnik) — In the December 2014 article, Rolling Stone claimed that a student identified as “Jackie” was sexually assaulted at a campus fraternity party, but it was later determined there was no proof the fraternity even hosted a party that night.

Lawsuit from UVA Dean against Rolling Stones/Sabrina Erdely rape story. http://t.co/wFMkFpcnN5 VIA: @gabrielmalor pic.twitter.com/gn0VIa4NDf

— Whenindoubtdo (@whenindoubtdo) May 12, 2015

“In her complaint, which was filed in the circuit court of Charlottesville, Virginia on Tuesday, UVA Associate Dean Nicole Eramo asserts that she suffered significant professional harm from both the magazine and author of the story, Sabrina Rubin Erdely,” WTVR CBS Channel 6 Richmond reported on Tuesday.

Also, sweet @RollingStone photo editing to make UVa’s Dean Eramo look like a monster http://t.co/BnpmavmtAP pic.twitter.com/L7ExjdMTgL

— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) May 12, 2015

The article drew significant attention in the United States after various inconsistencies were found in the testimony provided by the victim.

Notes Dean Eramo was sent because of false @RollingStone story: pic.twitter.com/Mfte4DJfHd

— Ashe Schow (@AsheSchow) May 12, 2015

“As a woman who has dedicated her life to assisting victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse, Dean Eramo saw herself tarred in the national press as the chief architect of a conspiracy to suppress Jackie’s assault in order to protect UVA’s reputation,” the complaint said.

According to the complaint, Erdely and Rolling Stone acted with hate when publishing the story, and they both knew that “Jackie” was not a reliable source of information.

“They had serious doubts about the truth of the disparaging claims they planned to make about Dean Eramo,” the complaint concluded.

On April 6, 2015, Columbia University’s School of Journalism Dean Steve Coll publicly proclaimed the Rolling Stone story a failure of journalism.

#UVa Dean #Eramo complains of journalistic failures by Erdely / @RollingStone, but this interview reveals a lot: https://t.co/d2FTaoUbGi

— Keith Williams (@keithwms) April 27, 2015