RICHMOND, Va. — A University of Virginia associate dean Tuesday sued Rolling Stone magazine for more than $7.5 million, saying a debunked and retracted account of an alleged gang rape on campus had cast her as the “chief villain.”
Nicole Eramo, the top administrator dealing with issue at the Charlottesville school, said the lengthy and graphic piece about a student rape victim identified only as “Jackie” portrayed Eramo as more concerned about protecting the elite university’s reputation than helping victims of sexual assault.
A report published by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism said Rolling Stone failed at virtually every step of the process, from the reporting by Sabrina Rubin Erdely to an editing process that included high-ranking staffers.
The criticism came two weeks after the Charlottesville police department said it found no evidence to back the claims of Jackie, who said she was raped by seven men at a fraternity house in September 2012.
Rolling Stone declined to comment.
The fraternity where the alleged rape was said to have occurred, Phi Kappa Psi, has also signaled it plans to sue Rolling Stone.
