Newkirk will see the Review in court

The Oberlin Review has been named in a civil lawsuit for alleged charges of libel, defamation and negligence. Charles E. Newkirk, the husband of former Dean of Students Charlene Cole-Newkirk filed the suit against the Review in May.

Those also being named in the lawsuit are Oberlin College, the Board of Trustees, and former Review editors Susanna Henighan (OC '99), Hanna Miller (OC '98) and senior Abby Person.

Claiming defamation of character and negligence, Newkirk, the plaintiff, claims that several stories written by Miller concerning the Newkirk couple were intended as attacks upon him and his wife. As a result of the articles, documents of the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas state that he has suffered "lost employment opportunities, loss of housing, and has suffered severe emotional distress, including, but not limited to, humiliation, depression, and loss of self-esteem."

The count of defamation levied against the Review states that despite having no confirmation of certain accusations and despite being warned by the plaintiff's lawyer, the Review engaged in defamation of character by publishing two derogatory articles and several false statements made in reckless regard. The plaintiff also contends that, "in a tasteless and reckless way," the Review twice printed an alleged quote that damaged his reputation. These two articles were also published on the Internet, as all articles in the Review are.

The second count states that the Review was negligent in supervising, warning and training its editors in a manner that would prevent the release of false accusations, while a third count accuses the Review of intentionally inflicting emotional distress upon the plaintiff.