Sabrina Erdely

Erdely was born in New York.{{Cite web|url=https://longform.org/player/longform-podcast-84-sabrina-rubin-erdely|title=Longform Podcast #84: Sabrina Rubin Erdely · Longform Player|website=Longform|access-date=December 9, 2020|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201123447/https://longform.org/player/longform-podcast-84-sabrina-rubin-erdely|url-status=live}} She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. According to Erdely, she was initially a pre-med student but became an English major while working on the staff of 34th Street, the magazine insert for the Daily Pennsylvanian, the campus newspaper. During her tenure at 34th Street, her colleague Stephen Glass "threw a righteous fit" after she and a colleague "concocted a funny and obviously made-up travel story" for the magazine.{{cite web|url=http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/1198/hughes2.html|title=The Pennsylvania Gazette: Through a Glass Darkly (2/4)|work=upenn.edu|access-date=June 21, 2015|archive-date=June 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618120606/http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/1198/hughes2.html|url-status=live}} Later, in an article she wrote for the University of Pennsylvania alumni magazine, she called Glass a "sociopathic creep" because, she said, he fabricated stories published as factual journalism in The New Republic.{{cite news |last=Erdely |first=Sabrina |author-link=Sabrina Erdely |date=January 2004 |title=Reflections on a Shattered Glass |url=http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0104/0104arts02.html |newspaper=Pennsylvania Gazette |access-date=December 9, 2014 |archive-date=January 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104064239/http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0104/0104arts02.html |url-status=live }}

After leaving Penn, Erdely went to work for Philadelphia before pursuing a career as a freelance magazine writer.

Erdely's 1996 story for Philadelphia, concerning a woman who alleged she had been raped by her gynecologist, was nominated for a National Magazine Award.{{Cite web|title = Philadelphia {{!}} MPA|url = http://www.magazine.org/philadelphia-6|website = www.magazine.org|access-date = September 5, 2015|archive-date = March 4, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120758/http://www.magazine.org/philadelphia-6|url-status = live}} A 2012 story for Rolling Stone, alleging bullying of gay students in Minnesota, was similarly nominated and received a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Magazine Article.{{cite news |date=January 16, 2013 |title=GLAAD Media Award Nominations: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Modern Family, Glee Score Nods |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/379124/glaad-media-award-nominations-here-comes-honey-boo-boo-modern-family-glee-score-nods |newspaper=E Online |access-date=January 16, 2013 |archive-date=January 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119043803/http://www.eonline.com/news/379124/glaad-media-award-nominations-here-comes-honey-boo-boo-modern-family-glee-score-nods |url-status=live }} In 2003 Erdely wrote a feature article in GQ about con man Steve Comisar. Erdely's 2013 Rolling Stone article, "The Rape of Petty Officer Blumer," chronicled the alleged drugging and rape of a US Navy female petty officer by three US Army soldiers.{{cite news |last=Erdely |first=Sabrina |author-link=Sabrina Erdely |date=February 14, 2013 |title=The Rape of Petty Officer Blumer |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-rape-of-petty-officer-blumer-20130214 |newspaper=Rolling Stone |access-date=December 5, 2014 |archive-date=December 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216060717/http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-rape-of-petty-officer-blumer-20130214 |url-status=live }}

File:St Francis de Sales (Philadelphia) 1.png

In 2011, Erdely reported a story for Rolling Stone about child abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia; the church had been under investigation in numerous cities since The Boston Globe{{'}}s exposé in 2002 of church protection of predatory priests. Erdely's article described a fifth grade altar boy referred to by the pseudonym "Billy Doe" whom "brutal attacks turned ... into a sullen, drug-addicted loner," alleging a "high-level conspiracy." Billy Doe was an adult when he made his accusations, resulting in criminal charges leading to the jailing of three church employees. Doe also filed a major civil suit against the church.{{cite news |last=Erdely |first=Sabrina |author-link=Sabrina Erdely |date=September 6, 2011 |title=The Catholic Church's Secret Sex-Crime Files |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-catholic-churchs-secret-sex-crime-files-20110906 |newspaper=Rolling Stone |access-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-date=January 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107041829/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-catholic-churchs-secret-sex-crime-files-20110906 |url-status=live }}

Ralph Cipriano wrote in Newsweek that "Erdely didn't know or bother to find out ... that Billy had already told his story to the archdiocese, police, and a grand jury, and would subsequently retell it to two different juries in two criminal cases. And every time he told his story, the details kept changing." In the first iteration of the rape Billy Doe claimed to have endured, he was knocked unconscious, stripped, tied to a church altar with sashes, and anally raped on the altar for five hours. Subsequent iterations of the rape recounted by Doe were less dramatic; a final version omitted the five-hour altar anal rape. Instead, Billy Doe explained, he had been coerced into engaging in mutual masturbation.{{cite news |date=December 11, 2014 |title=Another Rolling Stone Rape Article Has Major Holes |url=http://www.newsweek.com/another-rolling-stone-rape-article-has-major-holes-291257 |newspaper=Newsweek |access-date=December 11, 2014 }} Cipriano criticized Erdely for failing to include information on Billy Doe's background that could have impugned his credibility; he had, for instance, been arrested six times, once while trafficking 56 bags of heroin.{{cite news |last=Cipriano |first=Ralph |title=The Story of Billy |url=http://www.germantownnewspapers.com/The_Story_of_Billy.html |newspaper=Independent Voice |location=Philadelphia, PA |access-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-date=December 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219150641/http://www.germantownnewspapers.com/The_Story_of_Billy.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=October 22, 2013 |title=Catholic Sex Abuse Case |url=http://www.phillymag.com/news/2013/10/22/reporter-ralph-cipriano-subpoenaed-catholic-sex-abuse-case/ |newspaper=Philadelphia magazine |location=Philadelphia, PA |access-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-date=December 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209203406/http://www.phillymag.com/news/2013/10/22/reporter-ralph-cipriano-subpoenaed-catholic-sex-abuse-case/ |url-status=live }} Doe's lawyer Slade McLaughlin, and David Clohessy, head of SNAP, have noted in response that substance abuse is a common reaction to childhood sexual abuse.{{cite news|last1=Mathis|first1=Joel|title=Billy Doe's Lawyer Pushes Back on Newsweek Cover Story|url=http://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/01/26/billy-does-lawyer-pushes-back-on-newsweek-cover-story/|access-date=July 3, 2016|work=Philadelphia|date=January 26, 2016|archive-date=July 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707114307/http://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/01/26/billy-does-lawyer-pushes-back-on-newsweek-cover-story/|url-status=live}}

When Erdely was covering the Billy Doe story, her husband was a criminal prosecutor for the District Attorney of Philadelphia, which was overseeing the case. Rolling Stone editors said that it was not a conflict of interest because he was not personally involved in the prosecution.{{cite news |last=Farhi |first=Paul |date=December 12, 2014 |title=Rolling Stone magazine has often thrived on controversy. Is this time different? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/rolling-stone-magazine-has-often-thrived-on-controversy-is-this-time-different/2014/12/12/b92c5974-8171-11e4-8882-03cf08410beb_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 13, 2014 |archive-date=December 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213120402/http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/rolling-stone-magazine-has-often-thrived-on-controversy-is-this-time-different/2014/12/12/b92c5974-8171-11e4-8882-03cf08410beb_story.html |url-status=live }} William Anthony Donohue at the Catholic League denounced "malicious distortions of the kind found in Erdely's diatribe."{{cite web |url=http://www.catholicleague.org/rolling-stone-gets-ugly-vile-hit-on-philly-archdiocese-2/ |title=ROLLING STONE GETS UGLY: VILE HIT ON PHILLY ARCHDIOCESE |website=catholicleague.org |date=November 21, 2011 |publisher=Catholic League |access-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207014206/http://www.catholicleague.org/rolling-stone-gets-ugly-vile-hit-on-philly-archdiocese-2/ |url-status=live }} The conviction of one church employee has since been overturned, and a new trial ordered for the one remaining (the third church employee died in prison while appealing his conviction).{{cite news |date=August 28, 2014 |title=Philadelphia priest, teacher convicted of abuse seek new trial |url=http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/philadelphia-priest-teacher-convicted-abuse-seek-new-trial |newspaper=National Catholic Reporter |access-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-date=December 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210234742/http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/philadelphia-priest-teacher-convicted-abuse-seek-new-trial |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=January 2, 2014 |title=The impact of the court decision to reverse Lynn's conviction |url=http://citypaper.net/News/Op-Ed-The-impact-of-the-court-decision-to-reverse-Lynns-conviction/ |newspaper=Philadelphia City Paper |access-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-date=October 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003022412/http://citypaper.net/News/Op-Ed-The-impact-of-the-court-decision-to-reverse-Lynns-conviction/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|A Rape on Campus}}

Erdely's article for Rolling Stone, titled "A Rape on Campus", was published in the December 2014 issue of that magazine. It falsely alleged that seven members of Phi Kappa Psi at the University of Virginia gang-raped a student at that fraternity house on September 28, 2012.{{cite magazine|last=Rubin |first=Sabrina |author-link=Sabrina Erdely |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/a-rape-on-campus-20141119 |title=A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=November 19, 2014 |access-date=March 14, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141120205928/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/a-rape-on-campus-20141119 |archive-date=November 20, 2014 }}

Separate inquiries by both Phi Kappa Psi and The Washington Post revealed major errors and discrepancies in the report. Erdely's story was subject to intense media criticism and questions as to its truthfulness.{{cite news |last=Schow |first=Ashe |date=December 3, 2014 |title=If False, Rolling Stone Story Could Set Rape Victims Back Decades |url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/if-false-rolling-stone-story-could-set-rape-victims-back-decades/article/2556895 |newspaper=Washington Examiner |access-date=December 5, 2014 |archive-date=December 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203191436/http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/if-false-rolling-stone-story-could-set-rape-victims-back-decades/article/2556895 |url-status=live }} The Washington Post and Boston Herald both issued calls for magazine staff involved in the report to be fired.{{cite news |date=December 7, 2014 |title=Apparently, This Rolling Stone Gathers No Facts |url=http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/adriana_cohen/2014/12/adriana_cohen_apparently_this_rolling_stone_gathers_no |newspaper=Boston Herald |access-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207105348/http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/adriana_cohen/2014/12/adriana_cohen_apparently_this_rolling_stone_gathers_no |url-status=live }} Natasha Vargas-Cooper, a columnist at The Intercept, said that Erdely's story showed "a horrendous, hidden bias," while an editorial in The Wall Street Journal charged that "Ms. Erdely did not construct a story based on facts, but went looking for facts to fit her theory." As criticism of the story mounted, Erdely disappeared from public view, with various media outlets describing her as "MIA" and "off the grid."{{cite news |last=Concha |first=Joe |date=December 9, 2014 |title=Lena Dunham's Republican-Raped-Me Story Crumbles as Legal Action Looms |url=http://www.mediaite.com/online/concha-lena-dunhams-republican-raped-me-story-crumbles-as-legal-action-looms/ |newspaper=Mediaite |access-date=December 9, 2014 |archive-date=December 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209200640/http://www.mediaite.com/online/concha-lena-dunhams-republican-raped-me-story-crumbles-as-legal-action-looms/ |url-status=live }} Rolling Stone subsequently issued three apologies for the story. On December 10, 2014, The Washington Post published an updated account of its inquiry into the Rolling Stone article. Summarizing that report, Slate noted that it "strongly implies, without outright saying so, that the gang rape at the center of Sabrina Rubin Erdely's article might be fabricated."{{cite news |last=Rosin |first=Hannah |date=December 10, 2014 |title=The Washington Post Inches Closer to Calling the UVA Gang Rape Story a Fabrication |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/12/10/rolling_stone_sabrina_rubin_erdely_the_washington_post_inches_closer_to.html |newspaper=Slate |access-date=December 10, 2014 |archive-date=December 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211034250/http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/12/10/rolling_stone_sabrina_rubin_erdely_the_washington_post_inches_closer_to.html |url-status=live }}

Scott Goodman, a lawyer, speculated that legal action against the magazine by persons accused of the rape may result.{{cite news |date=December 5, 2014 |title=Civil, Criminal Lawsuits: Possible Outcomes of Rolling Stone Expose |url=http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/CBS19-Legal-Analyst-Discusses-Legal-Ramifications-of-Rolling-Stone-Discrepancies-284934851.html?ref=851 |newspaper=WCAV-TV |access-date=December 5, 2014 |archive-date=September 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902102236/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10224178/our_1000th_issue |url-status=dead }} Rolling Stone publisher Jann S. Wenner asked the dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism to audit the editorial processes leading up to the publication of the controversial story.{{cite news |last=Wemple |first=Erik |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/12/22/rolling-stone-farms-out-review-of-u-va-rape-story-to-columbia-journalism-school/ |title=Rolling Stone Farms Out Review of U-Va. Rape Story to Columbia Journalism School |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 19, 2014 |access-date=March 14, 2015 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025213/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/12/22/rolling-stone-farms-out-review-of-u-va-rape-story-to-columbia-journalism-school/ |url-status=live }}

On January 12, 2015, the University of Virginia reinstated the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity after the police investigation concluded that no incident had occurred at the fraternity. According to Charlottesville police captain Gary Pleasants, Charlottesville police "found no basis to believe that an incident occurred at that fraternity, so there's no reason to keep them suspended."{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/phi-kappa-psi-fraternity-reinstated-at-university-of-virginia/2015/01/12/1b6ddd50-9a69-11e4-96cc-e858eba91ced_story.html |title=Police clear U-Va. fraternity, say rape did not happen there |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 14, 2015 |archive-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501235949/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/phi-kappa-psi-fraternity-reinstated-at-university-of-virginia/2015/01/12/1b6ddd50-9a69-11e4-96cc-e858eba91ced_story.html |url-status=live }} The police investigation into the allegations made by Erdely was concluded (though not closed) on March 23, 2015; no evidence was found to support Erdely's claims, with Charlottesville police stating that they had "no basis to conclude that anything happened in [the] fraternity house, or any fraternity house, for that matter" and that there "is no substantive basis to support the account alleged in the Rolling Stone article."{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/us/police-to-release-results-of-uva-rape-inquiry.html|title=Police Find No Evidence of Rape at UVA Fraternity|last1=Robinson|first1=Owen|last2=Stolberg|first2=Sheryl|access-date=March 23, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 23, 2015|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505141907/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/us/police-to-release-results-of-uva-rape-inquiry.html|url-status=live}}

On April 5, 2015, Rolling Stone retracted the article.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/a-rape-on-campus-what-went-wrong-20150405#ixzz3WULLFGm6|title=Rolling Stone and UVA: The Columbia School of Journalism Report - Rolling Stone|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-date=April 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406000123/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/a-rape-on-campus-what-went-wrong-20150405#ixzz3WULLFGm6|url-status=live}} Erdely publicly apologized for the article on April 5, 2015,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/business/media/statement-from-writer-of-rolling-stone-rape-article-sabrina-erdely.html|title=Statement from Writer of Rolling Stone Article Sabrina Erdely-New York Times|work=The New York Times|date=April 5, 2015|access-date=March 3, 2017|archive-date=February 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223135244/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/business/media/statement-from-writer-of-rolling-stone-rape-article-sabrina-erdely.html|url-status=live}} though her apology did not include any mention of the fraternity, or the members of the fraternity who were accused.{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2015/04/06/rolling-stone-retracts-uva-fraternity-rape-story-pundits-react|title=Rolling Stone Retracts UVA Fraternity Rape Story, Pundits React - US News|author=Rachel Brody|work=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-date=August 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829160909/https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2015/04/06/rolling-stone-retracts-uva-fraternity-rape-story-pundits-react|url-status=live}} The Columbia Journalism Review called the apology "a grudging act of contrition."{{cite web|url=https://www.cjr.org/first_person/david_folkenflik_rolling_stone.php|title=Rolling Stone fails to take full responsibility for its actions|work=Columbia Journalism Review|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=December 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224113736/https://www.cjr.org/first_person/david_folkenflik_rolling_stone.php|url-status=live}}

Both a spokesman for publisher Wenner{{cite news|last=Stelter|first=Brian|date=April 6, 2015|title=Major 'failures' found in Rolling Stone's 'A Rape on Campus'|url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/04/05/media/rolling-stone-uva-rape-article-columbia-probe/|newspaper=CNNMoney|access-date=April 6, 2015|archive-date=April 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406041244/https://money.cnn.com/2015/04/05/media/rolling-stone-uva-rape-article-columbia-probe|url-status=live}} and Will Dana, managing editor, said that Erdely would continue to write articles for Rolling Stone.{{cite news|author1=Valerie Bauerlein|author2=Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg|title=Probe of Now-Discredited Rolling Stone Article Didn't Find Fireable Error|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/probe-of-now-discredited-rolling-stone-article-didnt-find-fireable-error-1428352237|access-date=April 7, 2015|website=The Wall Street Journal|date=April 6, 2015|archive-date=April 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406222625/http://www.wsj.com/articles/probe-of-now-discredited-rolling-stone-article-didnt-find-fireable-error-1428352237|url-status=live}}

On May 12, 2015, the associate dean of students at the University of Virginia, Nicole Eramo, who oversaw sexual violence cases at the time of the article's publication, filed a lawsuit against both Rolling Stone and Erdely, seeking $7.5 million in damages based upon her claim that the article contained "highly defamatory and false statements", which she alleged, led to the destruction of Eramo's credibility, permanently damaging her reputation, and causing her emotional distress.{{cite news |last=Shapiro |first=T. Rees |date=May 12, 2015 |title=U-Va. dean sues Rolling Stone for 'false' portrayal in retracted rape story |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/u-va-dean-sues-rolling-stone-for-false-portrayal-in-retracted-rape-story/2015/05/12/2128a84a-f862-11e4-a13c-193b1241d51a_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=May 12, 2015 |quote="Rolling Stone and Erdely's highly defamatory and false statements about Dean Eramo were not the result of an innocent mistake," according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Charlottesville Circuit Court. "They were the result of a wanton journalist who was more concerned with writing an article that fulfilled her preconceived narrative about the victimization of women on American college campuses, and a malicious publisher who was more concerned about selling magazines to boost the economic bottom line for its faltering magazine, than they were about discovering the truth or actual facts." |archive-date=May 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513080410/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/u-va-dean-sues-rolling-stone-for-false-portrayal-in-retracted-rape-story/2015/05/12/2128a84a-f862-11e4-a13c-193b1241d51a_story.html |url-status=live }}

Beginning on October 17, 2016, a 10-member federal court jury heard testimony from 12 witnesses and saw 11 hours of video statements and more than 180 exhibits of evidence over 16 days during the trial for defamation brought by Eramo. On November 4, 2016, the jury concluded that Erdely was responsible for defamation with actual malice. The jury's finding means that it concluded Erdely knew statements about Eramo in the article were false—or had reason to doubt them and failed to investigate further—but published them anyway.{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/11/04/media/uva-rolling-stone-defamation-jury/index.html|title=Rolling Stone found liable for defamation for rape story|first=Julia|last=Horowitz|date=November 4, 2016|access-date=September 21, 2018|archive-date=November 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105032143/http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/04/media/uva-rolling-stone-defamation-jury/index.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/rolling-stone-defendants-liable-for-defamation/article_89a5c93e-a2b6-11e6-84b2-2f2e7789ea55.html|title=Jury says Rolling Stone article defamed UVa administrator|first=LAUREN|last=BERG|date=November 4, 2016|access-date=September 21, 2018|archive-date=September 2, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902102236/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10224178/our_1000th_issue|url-status=live}}

On July 29, 2015, a separate lawsuit was filed by three members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity against Rolling Stone, Wenner Media, and Erdely for defamation and infliction of emotional distress caused by Erdely's story.{{Cite news|title = Virginia college graduates sue Rolling Stone over rape story|url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-sexcrimes-lawsuit-idUSKCN0Q32NS20150730|newspaper = Reuters|date = July 29, 2015|access-date = July 30, 2015|archive-date = August 2, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150802051204/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/30/us-usa-sexcrimes-lawsuit-idUSKCN0Q32NS20150730|url-status = live}} This lawsuit was subsequently dismissed by a federal judge on June 29, 2016, because the three plaintiffs were neither explicitly nor implicitly identified in the original article.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/06/29/federal-judge-dismisses-u-va-fraternity-members-defamation-lawsuit-against-rolling-stone/|title=Federal judge dismisses U-Va. fraternity members' defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 18, 2016|archive-date=June 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630211249/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/06/29/federal-judge-dismisses-u-va-fraternity-members-defamation-lawsuit-against-rolling-stone/|url-status=live}} On September 19, 2017, that decision was reversed by a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit which found that "Plaintiffs Elias and Fowler have plausibly alleged that the purportedly defamatory statements in the Article only were 'of and concerning' them individually. We also hold that Plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that the Article was 'of and concerning' them under a theory of small group defamation."{{cite web|title=Elias et al. v. Rolling Stone LLC et al.|url=http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/2017_0919_rolling_stone_2nd_circuit.pdf|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=September 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919135925/http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/2017_0919_rolling_stone_2nd_circuit.pdf|url-status=live}}

Erdely's Rolling Stone story "A Rape on Campus" was named by Columbia Journalism Review as "the Worst Journalism of 2014"{{cite news |last=Uberti |first=David |date=December 22, 2014 |title=The worst journalism of 2014 |url=https://www.cjr.org/darts_and_laurels/the_worst_journalism_of_2014.php |newspaper=Columbia Journalism Review |access-date=December 23, 2014 |archive-date=December 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224064052/http://www.cjr.org/darts_and_laurels/the_worst_journalism_of_2014.php |url-status=live }} and as "Error of the Year" by the Poynter Institute.{{cite web |url=http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/306801/the-year-in-media-errors-and-corrections-2014/ |title=The year in media errors and corrections 2014 |publisher=Poynter.org |access-date=March 14, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315015756/http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/306801/the-year-in-media-errors-and-corrections-2014/ |archive-date=March 15, 2015 }}

As of 2021, Erdely writes for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and co-hosts the Jewish Philly podcast.{{Cite web|url=https://blog.jewishphilly.org/author/sabrina-rubin-erdely|title=Blog - Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia | Sabrina Rubin Erdely|first=Jewish Federation of Greater|last=Philadelphia|website=blog.jewishphilly.org|access-date=December 9, 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114083542/https://blog.jewishphilly.org/author/sabrina-rubin-erdely|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishexponent.com/2019/07/08/jewish-podcast-philadelphia/|title=With Jewish podcasts, listeners are connecting to Jewish American life through new media|first=Erica|last=Silverman|date=July 8, 2019|access-date=December 9, 2020|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708193834/https://www.jewishexponent.com/2019/07/08/jewish-podcast-philadelphia/|url-status=live}} She previously taught writing courses at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania.{{Cite web|url=https://augustafreepress.com/get-know-sabrina-rubin-erdely-reporter-wrote-rolling-stone-uva-hit-piece/|title=Get to know Sabrina Rubin Erdely: The reporter who wrote the Rolling Stone UVA hit piece|date=December 6, 2014|access-date=December 10, 2020|archive-date=June 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180608181333/http://augustafreepress.com/get-know-sabrina-rubin-erdely-reporter-wrote-rolling-stone-uva-hit-piece/|url-status=live}} She also serves as director of content for CTRL+M Health, a headache app.{{cite web |title=Team |url=https://ctrlmhealth.com/about-us/team/ |website=ctrlmhealth.com |publisher=CTRL+M Health |access-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813134023/https://ctrlmhealth.com/about-us/team/ |url-status=live }}

In 2013 a film, titled The Girl Who Conned the Ivy League and based on Erdely's story of the same name for Rolling Stone, published in early 2010, was in development with Rob Epstein as director.{{cite news |date=April 22, 2013 |title='Lovelace' Directors on 'The Girl Who Conned The Ivy League' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/lovelace-directors-on-the-girl-who-conned-the-ivy-league-1200406083/ |newspaper=Variety |access-date=December 6, 2014 |archive-date=December 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226120808/http://variety.com/2013/film/news/lovelace-directors-on-the-girl-who-conned-the-ivy-league-1200406083/ |url-status=live }} The idea for the film had been pitched in March 2010 by screenwriter Lorene Scafaria, with Amanda Seyfried proposed for the title role of Esther Reed.{{cite news|url=https://screenrant.com/girl-who-conned-ivy-league-movie-crosen-49104/|title=Seyfried and McG Join 'The Girl Who Conned The Ivy League'|last=Rosen|first=Christopher|date=February 15, 2014|newspaper=screenrant.com|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109092906/http://screenrant.com/girl-who-conned-ivy-league-movie-crosen-49104/|url-status=live}} However, in January 2014, an LA Weekly cover story described cocaine-dealing allegations and prison time done by Remington Chase and Stepan Martirosyan, who were involved in financing the film.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lone-survivor-financiers-face-fallout-668845|title='Lone Survivor' Financiers Face Fallout as Drug Trafficking Report Surfaces|last=Siegel|first=Tatiana|date=January 8, 2014|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=October 11, 2018|language=en|archive-date=October 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214843/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lone-survivor-financiers-face-fallout-668845|url-status=live}}

In 2013, it was announced that Craig Brewer would adapt Erdely's story "Gangster Princess of Beverly Hills" into a motion picture.{{cite news |last=Fleming |first=Michael |date=February 27, 2013 |title=Craig Brewer Signs On For Paramount's 'Gangster Princess Of Beverly Hills' |url=https://deadline.com/2013/02/craig-brewer-signs-on-for-paramounts-gangster-princess-of-beverly-hills-441746/ |newspaper=Deadline |access-date=December 11, 2014 |archive-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207163627/http://deadline.com/2013/02/craig-brewer-signs-on-for-paramounts-gangster-princess-of-beverly-hills-441746/ |url-status=live }}

Erdely lives in Philadelphia with her husband (an attorney) and two children, a daughter and a son.{{Cite web|url=https://www.upenn.edu/gazette/1199/1199notes.html|title=The Gazette Nov/Dec: Alumni Notes|website=www.upenn.edu|access-date=December 9, 2020|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917215621/https://www.upenn.edu/gazette/1199/1199notes.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_27866734/rolling-stone-retraction-rare-blemish-journalist-sabrina-rubin|title=Rolling Stone retraction a rare blemish for journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely|date=April 7, 2015|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=December 28, 2015|archive-date=January 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121102627/http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_27866734/rolling-stone-retraction-rare-blemish-journalist-sabrina-rubin|url-status=live}} She is Jewish and a member of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishexponent.com/2013/08/07/jersey-day-camp-draws-record-numbers/|title=Jersey Day Camp Draws Record Numbers|date=August 7, 2013|access-date=December 9, 2020|archive-date=December 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205105539/https://www.jewishexponent.com/2013/08/07/jersey-day-camp-draws-record-numbers/|url-status=live}}

Erdely's defamatory "A Rape on Campus" article and its aftermath was the inspiration for a season 16 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Episode 18 of the show, titled "Devastating Story", was broadcast in April 2015 and features the case of a college student who falsely claims to have been gang raped in a fraternity house.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/W2ktYSydJ2k Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150331111847/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2ktYSydJ2k Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2ktYSydJ2k| title = Law and Order SVU 16x18 Promo "Devastating Story" (HD) | website=YouTube| date = March 25, 2015 }}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/law-order-special-victims-unit/devastating-story-3071229/|title=Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Devastating Story|website=TV.com|access-date=December 10, 2020|archive-date=February 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223185937/http://www.tv.com/shows/law-order-special-victims-unit/devastating-story-3071229/|url-status=live}}

In May 2022, an off-Broadway play adapted from Erdely's "A Rape on Campus" article controversy and resulting legal battles titled Retraction premiered in New York City at Theatre Row.Cristi, A.A. RETRACTION by David Gutierrez Opens On Theatre Row. Broadway World, 28 Apr. 2022, https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/RETRACTIONby-DavidGutierrez-Opens-On-Theatre-Row-20220428 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603023416/https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/RETRACTIONby-DavidGutierrez-Opens-On-Theatre-Row-20220428 |date=June 3, 2022 }}. Accessed 13 Jul 2022Bush, Jen. A lawyer takes to the stage to state his case. Arts Independent, 7 May 2022, https://artsindependent.com/2022/05/07/a-laywer-takes-to-the-stage-to-styate-his-case/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603023417/https://artsindependent.com/2022/05/07/a-laywer-takes-to-the-stage-to-styate-his-case/ |date=June 3, 2022 }} Accessed 13 Jul 2022Ryan, Jed. RETRACTION By David Gutierrez on NYC's Theatre Row: A Review. Lavender After Dark, 11 May 2022, https://lavenderafterdark.com/2022/05/11/retraction-by-david-gutierrez-on-nycs-theatre-row-a-review/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521123426/https://lavenderafterdark.com/2022/05/11/retraction-by-david-gutierrez-on-nycs-theatre-row-a-review/ |date=May 21, 2022 }}. Accessed 13 Jul 2022

• Jayson Blair
• Janet Cooke, author of fabricated Pulitzer Prize winning article
• Fake news

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.sabrinaerdely.com/ Official website]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erdely, Sabrina}}

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