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

Following up on my previous posts:

• 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)

Law.com, Joshua Wright Sues GMU for Alleged Title IX Violations, but Has $108M Defamation Suit Against Accusers Tossed:

Joshua D. Wright, who resigned from his role as a professor at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School amid allegations of sexual misconduct, filed a complaint against the school for Title IX violations on Nov. 30—and on Dec. 1 had a separate defamation suit against several of his accusers dismissed without prejudice.

Wright, who is the founding partner of Lodestar Law & Economics and a former commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County on Nov. 30 against the rector and visitors of George Mason University and Thomas Bluestein, assistant vice president for Equity and Access Services and Title IX coordinator at George Mason University.

In August, Wright filed a $108 million lawsuit against Elyse Dorsey, who graduated from GMU Law and is now a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, and Angela Landry, who graduated from GMU Law in 2012 and is now an attorney with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. In September, Dorsey and Landry filed a counterclaim against Wright for violation of Virginia’s Anti-SLAPP statute.

Wright’s defamation lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, according to a Dec. 1 article in Global Competition Review.

GCR reporter Anna Langlois posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Dec. 1 saying, “A Virginia state court has dismissed former GMU Law professor Joshua Wright’s defamation lawsuit against former students Elyse Dorsey and Angela Landry. Wright can amend the complaint within 3 weeks.”

According to an article on MLex, the judge ruled that Wright must allege specific defamatory statements in his amended complaint.

Law360, Wright Files Title IX Action As Judge Tosses $108M Suit