Phi Kappa Psi, the fraternity at the heart of Rolling Stone’s now-retracted December 2014 cover story “A Rape on Campus,” will sue the magazine for publishing what it calls a “defamatory” and “reckless” story, according to the AP. In a public statement, the Virginia Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi said it plans to “pursue all available legal action against the magazine.”
The frat alleges that the story resulted in its house being vandalized and its members being ostracized on campus. UVA Phi Kappa Psi president Stephen Scipione also said in the statement that the frat has become emblematic of the nationwide campus assault epidemic, despite the fact that Rolling Stone has retracted the story.
“Clearly our fraternity and its members have been defamed, but more importantly we fear this entire episode may prompt some victims to remain in the shadows, fearful to confront their attackers,” Scipione said.
The news follows Columbia Journalism School’s damning report of the editorial process behind “A Rape on Campus,” which Rolling Stone acknowledged in a retraction statement was a “journalistic failure that was avoidable.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated as we learn more.
