UVa administrator urges judge to keep Rolling Stone verdict

RICHMOND, Va. – Attorneys for a University of Virginia administrator are urging a federal judge not to overturn a jury’s verdict against Rolling Stone magazine for its botched story “A Rape on Campus.”

Lawyers for Nicole Eramo say in court documents filed Tuesday that the jury was correct when it found that Rolling Stone and reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely defamed Eramo with their 2014 story.

The jury awarded Eramo $3 million in November.

Rolling Stone wants the judge to overrule the jury’s verdict. The magazine argues, among other things, there’s no evidence that writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely acted with actual malice.

Eramo’s attorneys say the jury heard plenty of evidence that Erdely acted with actual malice. They argue that Erdely had a preconceived story line and harboured “ill will or bias” toward Eramo.