Libel law and the Rolling Stone / UVA alleged gang rape story - The Washington Post

Libel law and the Rolling Stone / UVA alleged gang rape story - The Washington Post

Several readers have asked: If the Rolling Stone article describing the alleged gang rape of a UVA student at a Phi Kappa Psi fraternity party is materially false, could the Rolling Stone be successfully sued for libel? This is a good illustration of some important libel law principles, so I thought I’d write about it.

The answer turns out to be, most likely yes. However, various plaintiffs might not want to.