3 UVa graduates sue Rolling Stone over retracted rape story

RICHMOND (Virginia) — Three University of Virginia graduates and members of a fraternity profiled in a debunked account of a gang rape in a retracted Rolling Stone magazine story filed a lawsuit against the publication and the article's author yesterday (July 29), court records show.

The three men, Mr George Elias IV, Mr Stephen Hadford and Mr Ross Fowler, filed suit US District Court in New York. They are also suing Rolling Stone's publisher, Wenner Media.

A lawyer for the men said they suffered "vicious and hurtful attacks" because of inaccuracies in the November 2014 article, which was written by journalist Ms Sabrina Rubin Erdely.

In their lawsuit, the three 2013 graduates said the article "created a simple and direct way to match the alleged attackers" from the alleged gang rape to them based on details provided in the story.

For instance, Mr Elias' room at the fraternity house was "the mostly likely scene of the alleged crime" based on the details in the Rolling Stone article.

"Upon release of the article, family friends, acquaintances, co-workers and reporters easily matched (Elias) as one of the alleged attackers and, among other things, interrogated him, humiliated him, and scolded him," the lawsuit said, adding that Mr Hadford and Mr Fowler "suffered similar attacks".

In the lawsuit, their lawyer said each of their identities was listed online by anonymous users when the article first came out and each of their "names will forever be associated with the alleged gang rape".

"These claims had a devastating effect on each of the plaintiffs' reputations," their lawyer, Mr Alan L Frank, wrote in yesterday’s filing.

The men are suing on three counts, including defamation and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and are asking for at least US$75,000 (S$102,617) for each count.

Ms Erdely and a spokeswoman for Wenner Media did not immediately return a request for comment yesterday.

The Charlottesville Police Department has said it found no evidence to back the claims of the woman identified in the story only as "Jackie", who said she was raped in 2012 by seven men at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house.

A UVa associate dean sued Rolling Stone magazine for more than US$7.5 million in May, saying a debunked and retracted account of an alleged gang rape on campus cast her as the "chief villain".

A report published by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism earlier this year said Rolling Stone failed at virtually every step of the process, from the reporting by Ms Erdely to an editing process that included high-ranking staffers.

No one at Rolling Stone was fired or disciplined as a result of the article, titled "A Rape on Campus". Rolling Stone managing editor Mr Will Dana posted an apology on the publication's website, and Ms Erdely also apologised in a statement.

The article roiled the UVa community, sparking protests at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house and a wrenching period of soul-searching by the university. For the three former students, the article made them unable to focus on school and work, and embarrassed them about their association with the fraternity.

Despite its flaws, the Rolling Stone article heightened scrutiny of campus sexual assaults amid a campaign by President Barack Obama. The University of Virginia had already been on the Department of Education's list of 55 colleges under investigation for their handling of sexual assault violations.

The article also prompted President Teresa Sullivan to temporarily suspend Greek social events. Fraternities later agreed to ban kegs, hire security workers and keep at least three fraternity members sober at each event. AP