PhotoCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A jury on Friday found Rolling Stone magazine liable in a defamation suit brought by a former dean at the University of Virginia involving a discredited 2014 article about a supposed gang rape at the university. The suit was brought by Nicole P. Eramo, a former associate dean of students at the university, who said the Rolling Stone article depicted her as the “chief villain” of the story. The jury found liability on the part of Rolling Stone; its parent company, Wenner Media; and the author of the article, Sabrina Rubin Erdely. Lawyers for Ms. Eramo argued that Rolling Stone and Ms. Erdely were reckless in their reporting and editing and that Ms. Erdely deliberately avoided following leads that could have disproved the story. Rolling Stone soon commissioned a review of the article by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

Source: New York Times November 04, 2016 18:04 UTC