Former Assoc. Dean of Students Nicole Eramo has reached a settlement with Rolling Stone magazine, writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely and Wenner Media Inc., BuzzFeed News reported early Tuesday evening.
Eramo filed a motion for voluntary dismissal of her defamation lawsuit on Tuesday. According to court documents, the defendants did not object to the request.
The dismissal follows a federal jury’s decision last November when it unanimously sided with Eramo in her defamation suit and found the defendants liable for actual malice. The jury awarded Eramo $3 million in damages, with $2 million designated to be paid by Erdely and $1 million to be paid by Rolling Stone and Wenner Media Inc.
Eramo originally filed a $7.5 million defamation lawsuit against the defendants in May 2015 following the November 2014 publication of Erdely’s article, “A Rape on Campus.” The article depicted the brutal gang rape of a student named “Jackie” at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house, although a subsequent investigation by the Charlottesville Police Department failed to find any evidence to substantiate Jackie’s claims.
The article was eventually retracted in April 2015 following the Columbia Journalism School’s report on the article and its inconsistencies.
Eramo’s lawyer Libby Locke told BuzzFeed the two sides reached an “amicable” settlement. However, the terms of the settlement are confidential.
"We're happy that the case is settled now," Locke said to Buzzfeed News. "It allows Nicole to move on and really focus on what she does best, which is help victims of sexual assault. I think she's thrilled to have this behind her."
The Cavalier Daily has reached out to lawyers for each side for comment. This is a developing story and we will continue to update this article as more details become available.
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