ON TRIAL

Judge Tosses Rolling Stone Suit Claim

Rules article’s overall implication did not defame UVA dean.

The judge presiding over the Rolling Stone defamation lawsuit dismissed a critical element of one plaintiff’s case in a ruling Monday. In her lawsuit, former University of Virginia Dean Nicole Eramo accused the magazine of smearing her as indifferent to sexual assault in its now-retracted 2014 “A Rape on Campus” article, but the judge dismissed her claim that the piece defamed her by implication—or that it portrayed Eramo as pretending to protect the accuser, “Jackie,” while discouraging her from reporting her case to police to protect the college’s reputation. The defense rested its case Monday afternoon, and closing arguments are expected to be heard Tuesday morning.

—Lizzie Crocker