Judge Rejects Rolling Stone’s Bid to Drop $25M Lawsuit

A Virginia judge ruled Thursday that a $25 million defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone magazine over its infamous, now-debunked fraternity-rape article can go forward. The lawsuit stems from a piece, “A Rape on Campus,” that was published last year by the magazine. The article, which told the story of a female student gang-raped by fraternity members at the University of Virginia, was later discredited. The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, which was mentioned in the story as having hosted the party where the alleged incident occurred, filed a lawsuit against Rolling Stone over the story last November. Rolling Stone had petitioned to have the lawsuit thrown out, but Charlottesville Circuit Judge Richard E. Moore said Thursday that statements made in the article could in fact be considered defamatory, ruling that the lawsuit can go ahead.