Law360, Ex-GMU Prof Ends Defamation Suit Against Former Students

Former George Mason University Law professor Joshua Wright has ended his $108 million defamation lawsuit against two former students who accused him of sexual misconduct, dropping the suit late Thursday just four days before a jury trial in the case was set to begin.

Wright’s motion for nonsuit in Fairfax County, Virginia, Circuit Court as to Freshfields LLP counsel Angela Landry came just hours after a settlement was reached with the other defendant in the case, Kirkland & Ellis LLP partner Elyse Dorsey.

Under an order for nonsuit, Wright may refile his claims against Landry within six months, which a representative of Wright said Thursday is “on the table.”

Wright, who is a former Federal Trade Commission commissioner, sued Dorsey and Landry in 2023, claiming his two former students at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School are “scorned former lovers” who had a “premeditated plan to ruin [his] life” when they spoke to the media.

• National Law Journal, Anti-SLAPP Defense Expected in Ex-GMU Law Professor’s Defamation Jury Trial
• Reuters, Ex-Law Prof Seeks to End His Case Against Former Students Who Accused Him of Sexual Misconduct

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• Former George Mason Law Prof Files $108M Lawsuit Against Former Students Accusing Him Of Sexual Misconduct (Aug. 26, 2023)
• After Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Former Tenured Law Professor, George Mason Bans Intimate Relationships Between Faculty And Students (Sept. 16, 2023)
• Joshua Wright Files Title IX Suit Against George Mason; Court Dismisses His $108 Million Defamation Claim Against Former Students Who Accused Him Of Sexual Misconduct (Dec. 12, 2023)
• George Mason Fires Back In Lawsuit By Former Tenured Law Professor Accused Of Sexual Misconduct (Jan. 30, 2024)
• Court Allows Former George Mason Law Prof Joshua Wright’s $108 Million Defamation Suit Against Former Students He Dated To Proceed (June 10, 2024)
• Wall Street Journal Three-Part Series On Former George Mason Law Prof Joshua Wright 
• Part One: The Hidden Life of Google’s Secret Weapon (June 8, 2024)
• Part Two: For Years, an Esteemed Law Professor Seduced Students. Was He Too Important to Fire? (June 9, 2024)
• Part Three: How Hubris, Revenge and a Breakup Brought Down Big Tech’s Proudest Ally (June 10, 2024)
• Update On Ex-George Mason Law Prof Joshua Wright’s Lawsuits Over Sex Allegations (June 23, 2024)
• George Mason To Comply With Congressional Request For Information On Sexual Allegations Against Former Law Prof Joshua Wright (June 27, 2024)
• Former Law Prof Joshua Wright’s Lawyer Criticizes Congressional Request For Information On George Mason’s Title IX Investigation (June 30, 2024)
• Federal Judge Won’t Stop Title IX Investigation Into Former George Mason Law Prof (Sept. 24, 2024)
• George Mason Asks Court To Toss Ex-Professor’s Lawsuit Over Title IX Probe (Nov. 21, 2024)
• Former Law Prof Drops Lawsuit Against George Mason Over Title IX Probe (Dec. 3, 2024)

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