Three men portrayed in a debunked account of a gang rape at a US university in a story published by Rolling Stone have filed a lawsuit against the magazine and the article's author.
George Elias IV, Stephen Hadford and Ross Fowler, filed the suit on Wednesday in the US District Court in New York.
They are also suing Rolling Stone's publisher, Wenner Media.
A lawyer for the men said they suffered "vicious and hurtful attacks" because of inaccuracies in the November 2014 story written by journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely.
Separately, Wenner Media said Rolling Stone managing editor Will Dana will be leaving the magazine next month.
It said after 19 years at Rolling Stone, he "has decided he is ready for a change and a new challenge".
The release did not mention the retracted University of Virginia article or give any other reason for Dana's departure.
In the lawsuit, the three 2013 graduates said the article "created a simple and direct way to match the alleged attackers" from the alleged gang rape to them based on details provided in the story.
For instance, Elias' fraternity house room was "the mostly likely scene of the alleged crime" based on the details in the Rolling Stone article.
"Upon release of the article, family friends, acquaintances, co-workers and reporters easily matched (Elias) as one of the alleged attackers and, among other things, interrogated him, humiliated him, and scolded him," the lawsuit said, adding that Hadford and Fowler "suffered similar attacks".
Their lawyer said each of their identities was listed online by anonymous users when the article came out and their "names will forever be associated with the alleged gang rape."
"These claims had a devastating effect on each of the plaintiffs' reputations," their lawyer, Alan L. Frank, wrote in the filing.
The men are suing on three counts, including defamation and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and are asking for at least $US75,000 ($A102,800) for each count.
Kathryn Brenner, a spokeswoman for Wenner Media, said the magazine declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Erdely did not immediately return a request for comment.
Charlottesville Police Department found no evidence to back the claims of the woman identified in the story only as Jackie, who said she was raped in 2012 by seven men at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house.
Share
