Defamation Suit Over Rolling Stone Article Is Revived on Appeal

A defamation lawsuit suit against Rolling Stone magazine over its retracted 2014 article about an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia was partially revived by a federal appeals court in New York.

The lower-court judge was wrong to dismiss all claims by three former students at the university, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday. The appeals court said the men presented adequate evidence that the alleged misstatements in the article could be read to implicate them.

The court upheld dismissal of claims related to remarks by the article’s author on a podcast, agreeing that they constituted her opinion and weren’t subject to a defamation claim. Wenner Media this week put the magazine up for sale.

Related:

• Rolling Stone to Pay $1.65M to Settle Suit Over University of Virginia Rape Story
• Rolling Stone Settles, but Fight Over University of Virginia Rape Story Isn’t Over
• Rolling Stone Defamation Case Over Rape Story Back in Virginia Court
• Rolling Stone Challenges Verdict in University of Virginia Defamation Case
• Jury Awards $3M in Damages Over Rolling Stone Rape Story
• Jury Finds Rolling Stone Liable for Defamation Over False Virginia Rape Story