NEW YORK, July 29 (UPI) -- Three former members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the University of Virginia filed a defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone on Wednesday for a now-retracted article the magazine published about a gang rape.

In April, Rolling Stone officially retracted an article written by Sabrina Erdely which told of the rape of a UVA student identified as "Jackie" at a party at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house. Fraternity members denied any wrongdoing and Charlottesville, Va., police said there was no evidence to support the story.


But months passed between the story was published and when it was officially walked back. During that time, three former members of the fraternity said people identified them as being involved in the fictitious rape based on details in the story.

George Elias IV, Stephen Hadford and Ross Fowler filed a lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in New York accusing Rolling Stone and Erdely of defamation. The lawsuit also names Wenner Media.

The lawsuit says the Rolling Stone article prompted people to create anonymous posts online identifying the three as some of the accused rapers, and listing their names and addresses publicly so they "will forever be associated with the alleged gang rape."

The lawsuit says Rolling Stone and Erdely were "negligent" for relying on just one source -- Jackie -- for the story, citing a report by the Columbia School of Journalism which called the article a "journalistic failure."

Elias, Hadford and Fowler, and their families and friends were repeatedly harassed on social media, through texts and at their jobs about their alleged involvement in the incidents, the lawsuit said. It says the three of them suffered emotional anguish and irreparable harm to their reputations.

RELATED UVA official says Rolling Stone rape article damaged her reputation

The men seek $75,000 on each of three counts -- two counts of defamation and one of negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Elias, Hadford and Fowler v. Rolling Stone, Erdely and Wenner Media

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