Judge Dismissed Defamation Lawsuit Against University of Virginia Professor who Spoke Out on Confederate Statues

Today, a circuit court judge dismissed the defamation lawsuit against CVille Weekly and our client Dr. Jalane Schmidt, associate professor at University of Virginia, in Tayloe v. C-Ville Holdings. The statement below can be attributed to our Executive Director Claire Gastañaga:

"Professor Schmidt should have never had to defend against this baseless lawsuit. Today, the judge agreed and decided that Mr. Tayloe’s defamation claim is meritless. This victory sends a clear message to all who would seek to stifle speech by weaponizing defamation law that such intimidation tactics will not be permitted by Virginia courts. No person should have to abandon their discussion on matters of public concern because of lawsuits like this one."