Rolling Stone attorney asks reporter about trust of source in frat rape story

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

Associated Press

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — An attorney for Rolling Stone magazine is asking the author of a discredited story about a woman’s claim of being gang raped at a fraternity house about the trust she put in her source.

A University of Virginia administrator, Nicole Eramo, is suing the magazine and reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely for $7.8 million over how she was portrayed in the 2014 story.

In federal court Friday in Charlottesville, attorney Scott Sexton played portions of Erdely’s interview with the woman, identified only as “Jackie.” She described getting a tattoo with the word, “Unbreakable,” to demonstrate resolve in dealing with what she said had happened.

Sexton asked Erdely, of Philadelphia, if it ever occurred to her someone would get a tattoo to commemorate something that didn’t happen.

Erdely responded, “Never.”