Law Schools

Law Professor Wins Defamation Case Against Woman Who Accused Him Of Rape

And he was awarded over a million dollars in damages.

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Francesco Parisi

University of Minnesota Law Professor Francesco Parisi has had his day in court, three years in the making.

Professor Parisi was arrested in 2017, following accusations from a former girlfriend that he stalked and raped her. The two had an extensive history, which included a real estate deal that went south. From the start, Parisi has maintained his innocence. His attorney even said the allegations were “an attempt by an estranged friend in her ongoing attempt to extort concessions in some real estate negotiations between the parties.” Parisi was in police custody for three weeks before charges were dropped (but not before he missed being with his mother on her death bed).

In the aftermath of Parisi’s ordeal, he sued his accuser, Morgan Wright, for defamation and defamation per se. In a decision issued earlier this week, Judge Daniel Moreno found for the plaintiff. In the decision, Judge Moreno noted:

The Court ultimately finds that Wright’s accusations were false, made with malice, unprotected by a qualified privilege, and therefore defamatory—Wright injured Parisi as a direct result of her untruthful narrative crusade.

Parisi was awarded a total of $1,189,514 for actual losses, economic losses, general and emotional damages, reputational damages, and punitive damages.

Parisi has described the experience to news outlets as “a horror movie.” And enrollment in his law school classes dropped as much as 60 percent. He also noted that he’s a believer in the #MeToo movement, and worried about the harm to victims caused by his experience.

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Earlier: Rape Charges Against Law Professor Dropped
More Details Emerge In The Rape Allegation Against Law Professor
Law Professor Arrested Amid Stalking Allegations

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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