Rolling Stone, publisher, author found liable for defamation
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A jury has determined that Rolling Stone, its publisher and one of its authors are liable for defamation with malice when they published their now-retracted article about a gang rape at the University of Virginia.
NBC 29 reports that Sabrina Rubin Erdely, the author of the story, was found liable on six claims, while the magazine was found liable on three. Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner was also found liable on three claims.
The verdict marks the end of a two-week trial, which was brought on by a lawsuit filed against the defendants by U.Va. dean Nicole Eramo, who said she was portrayed as callous toward sexual assault accusers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During the trial, jurors listened to an audio recording of Erdely interviewing the alleged victim, "Jackie," who claimed she was gang-raped by seven men as part of a fraternity initiation. Jackie told Erdely she wanted "bad publicity" for her school, while Erdely insinuated that fraternities were inherently bad.