Defamation Lawsuit Against Rolling Stone Magazine Likely Set For Trial This Year

A federal judge says a defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone magazine over a now-debunked article about a rape at the University of Virginia likely will head to a jury trial later this year.

The Washington Post reported that U.S. District Court Judge Glen E. Conrad said during a hearing Friday that aspects of UVa administrator Nicole Eramo’s case likely will proceed to a jury.

Eramo is an associate dean of students at the university who had counseled “Jackie,” the woman who claimed to be raped in the November 2014 story. Eramo sued the magazine and the article’s author for more than $7.5 million, saying she was cast as the “chief villain.”

Elizabeth McNamara, an attorney representing Rolling Stone, told reporters Friday that the case should be dismissed.