A federal judge has declined to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by Olivet University against Newsweek reporter Alex Rouhandeh, signaling a potential landmark case concerning media conduct and immigration manipulation.
In a July 22 ruling, Judge Steven Merryday determined that Rouhandeh's article, which falsely claimed Olivet "pleaded guilty to money laundering," constitutes a materially false statement, thus supporting a valid defamation claim. Olivet had, in fact, pleaded guilty to "conspiracy in the fifth degree," a misdemeanor. The court acknowledged that any reasonable person could distinguish the difference.
