Rolling Stone Trial: Defendants Found Liable in Defamation Case

CHARLOTTSEVILLE, VA — All three defendants in the Rolling Stone trial have been found liable for defamation against former University of Virginia dean Nicole Eramo, according to multiple media reports.

The Washington Post's T.Rees Shapiro reported that the 10-member jury concluded that Rolling Stone journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely, the magazine and its publisher Wenner Media were responsible for defamation. All three defendants were found to have committed actual malice.

Actual malice is a tougher standard to prove in a defamation case, since it means the defendants published the story knowing it contained false information. Local news channel CBS 19 reports the jurors had to consider the standard since Eramo is a public figure in regards to the case. In a defamation case against someone who is not considered a public figure, the only standard that needs to be considered in negligence.

The lawsuit brought against the defendants focused on a story written Erdely in the magazine that was titled, "A Rape on Campus." The story centered around a character identified as "Jackie" who claimed to have been gang raped at a fraternity party on the campus in Charlottseville. The story was found to have major gaps in the narrative and was later discredited. A report by the Columbia University School of Journalism found that the magazine set aside or rationalized as unnecessary essential practices of reporting, failing to properly vet the account given by "Jackie."

The story was the cover story on the magazine's November 2014 issue and was completely retracted in April 2015.

Rolling Stone responded to the verdict in a statement saying they "deeply regret these missteps and sincerely apologize to anyone hurt by them, including Ms. Eramo."

The trial will now move into the damages phase. Eramo's lawsuit against Erdely and the magazine sought $7.5 million in damages.

Patch will update this breaking news story.

Image from Rolling Stone’s November 2014 article, “A Rape on Campus.”