Rolling Stone files to dismiss Virginia fraternity lawsuit over rape article

Fraternity members allege they continue to face backlash over report

The University of Virginia (AP)

Rolling Stone magazine has filed to dismiss a $25 million lawsuit brought by fraternity members over a controversial article alleging that they raped a fellow student, reports say.

The three unnamed University of Virginia Phi Kappa Psi (PSP) fraternity members alleged in their lawsuit that the article led to them being accused of rape in online posts, but Rolling Stone argued in its motion to dismiss the suit Wednesday that their names were not mentioned in the article and that their fraternity members was not enough to have implicated them, NBC News reported.

Rolling Stone retracted the November 2014 article by Sabrina Erdely, entitled “A rape on campus” after several discrepancies in the reportage led authorities to investigate and discredit the allegations.

PSP on November 9 announced that they had filed their lawsuit in a Charlottesville, Virginia court, arguing that they fraternity “brothers” affected “continue to suffer despite the ultimate unraveling of the story.”

“Innocent brothers were besieged in their residence, physically threatened, protested against and vilified by unknown assailants, fellow students and the university community,” the fraternity said in a press release, referring to the fraternity members, whom have reportedly since graduated.

Rolling Stone and PSP did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.