University of Virginia dean sues Rolling Stone over retracted rape story

An associate dean at the University of Virginia on Tuesday sued Rolling Stone, claiming the magazine portrayed her as the "chief villain" in its since-retracted feature on an alleged rape at the institution.

Alleging defamation, Dean Nicole Eramo claimed the story was the result of reporting intended to justify "a preconceived narrative" and "a malicious publisher who was more concerned about selling magazines... than they were about discovering the truth or actual facts."

Published in November, the explosive article focused on an alleged gang rape victim identified as "Jackie." Subsequent reporting cast doubt on Jackie's story, though, and in April Rolling Stone retracted the piece after an exhaustive Columbia University review called it "deeply flawed."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up