Monday, June 19, 2017

Northwestern graduate student files request for pseudonym in lawsuit; Laura Kipnis, HarperCollins oppose

The Daily Northwestern reports:
Communication Prof. Laura Kipnis and publishing house HarperCollins Publishers LLC filed an opposition June 9 to a motion from a Northwestern graduate student to continue using a pseudonym in her lawsuit against HarperCollins and Kipnis.

The lawsuit, filed May 16 by the graduate student under the pseudonym Jane Doe, follows the April 4 release of Kipnis’ book, “Unwanted Advances: Sexual Paranoia Comes to Campus,” which HarperCollins published. The suit alleges the book released private details about Doe’s life and contained “false and damaging statements” about Doe, portraying her as “lying, manipulative, and litigious.”

The book, which Kipnis calls a polemic, critiques Northwestern’s Title IX process by describing Kipnis’ own experience with the procedure and her interpretation of separate incidents of two students — including Doe — filing sexual assault complaints against former philosophy Prof. Peter Ludlow.

Kipnis and a HarperCollins spokeswoman declined to comment for this story. Jennifer Salvatore and Julie Porter, attorneys representing Doe, also declined to comment.
Professor Laura Kipnis attempts to defend free speech and civil rights.