Just last week, new evidence was revealed in the debunked UVA rape case that led to major lawsuits against the magazine Rolling Stone.
In recent trials in the defamation lawsuit of Associate-Dean Nicole Eramo, who was depicted in the article as callous and unsympathetic to Jackie’s case, evidence has been revealed that seems to suggest that the fabricated rape scandal was all a ruse in order for Jackie, the supposed victim, to get closer to a crush and former classmate of hers, Ryan Duffin.
Duffin described to the Washington Post how Jackie, when they were attending UVA as first years, had indicated that she wished to be more than just friends, but that Duffin didn’t reciprocate these feelings and they had remained friends.
Shortly thereafter, Jackie had coaxed Duffin into conversations by text with a young man by the name of Haven Monahan, who Jackie claimed was a third year she knew from chemistry class. However, Duffin went under the fake name of ‘Brianna’ in order to hide his own identity.
Jackie had made Duffin aware of the fact she had found Monahan ‘creepy’, so when Monahan continued to text Duffin- under the guise of Brianna- about Jackie and his desire to date her, Duffin eventually revealed his true identity and attempted to persuade Monahan to stop texting Jackie as his feelings weren’t mutual.
Jackie later claimed that Monahan had taken her on a date and from there, had brought her to a university fraternity house where he had forced her to give oral sex to multiple men. However, upon investigation by Charlottesville Police, there is and has never been a record of a Haven Monahan attending UVA.
Eramo’s lawyers believe that Jackie created this elaborate persona of Monahan, and fabricated the so-called gang rape to draw the attention and pity from Duffin.
Details of the rape case that she told to Duffin and UVA officials differed greatly from those given in the Rolling Stone article released early last year. She claimed initially that Monahan had been the ring-leader of the attack, but changed her story in later questioning.
This evidence was revealed when U.S. District Court Chief Judge Glen E. Conrad called on Jackie to hand over all communications that occurred between her and UVA officials, as well as Sabrina Erdely, the author of the article.
