Butler University Drops Suit Against Student Blogger
Inside Higher Ed has chronicled the intriguing case surrounding Butler University student Jess Zimmerman, originator of a blog that was sued by the university two weeks ago for allegedly making libelous and defamatory statements about school officials. The suit, which had been denounced by faculty members and students on the Indianapolis campus, was dropped today, according to an item in Inside Higher Ed's Quick Takes feature and the Butler Collegian's website.
Zimmerman started the TrueBU Blog in 2008 but wrote it anonymously. According to Inside Higher Ed, Butler did not name Zimmerman directly in its suit, suing instead the anonymous writer. Butler University President Bobby Fong said repeatedly that since Zimmerman wasn't named in the suit, the school wasn't suing him. That caused the uproar on campus.
With the suit withdrawn, the aftermath of the incident and how the parties move on will be in focus, especially after the incident garnered so much national attention from media outlets such as the Indianapolis Star and the Huffington Post.
- Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of America's Best Colleges.
Tools: 
Share
|
| Comments (1) | Print
Reader Comments
Shame on them
What an outrageous story. The sad thing is this student would probably be better off had they not dropped the suit. Any judge in the country would have laughed in their faces, but now they can "discipline" him all they want in internal campus proceedings, behind closed doors and with no legal recourse.
advertisement
