Update On Ex-George Mason Law Prof Joshua Wright's Lawsuits Over Sex Allegations

Law360, Update On Ex-George Mason Prof's Suits Over Sex Allegations:

After two women came forward last August accusing former BigLaw partner, FTC commissioner and George Mason University law professor Joshua D. Wright of sexual improprieties with students and direct reports, a number of additional accusations and lawsuits followed, including a defamation case brought by Wright against his accusers.

The allegations became public after Kirkland & Ellis partner Elyse Dorsey and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer counsel Angela Landry spoke to Law360 last summer, detailing stories in which they said Wright abused his power to coerce them into sexual activity when they were his students and direct reports at GMU law and the Federal Trade Commission, and, when Dorsey worked with Wright at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC.

Following that news, additional women came forward with allegations that they too had been pursued sexually by Wright as students.

While Wright had already resigned from GMU Law in 2023 amid an investigation into a Title IX complaint filed by Dorsey — and had left the FTC and Wilson Sonsini years earlier — there was allegedly additional career fallout for the antitrust law expert, something he detailed in a subsequent defamation lawsuit against Dorsey and Landry. Wright also sued GMU over its handling of the Title IX investigation.

Here are updates on the cases and everything else surrounding the allegations.

• The Initial Allegations ...
• Wright's Defamation Lawsuit ...
• Wright's Suit Is Headed for Trial ...
• Wright's Suit Against GMU Is Also Ongoing ...

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)
• WSJ 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)