York University withdraws legal action against Toronto Life
York University had given a libel notice to Toronto Life and Katherine Laidlaw, the writer of an article alleging that its campus has become a “hunting ground for sexual predators” in the October 2013 issue. The university has since withdrawn its legal action, and Toronto Life has issued a clarification.
By Tamara Baluja, Associate Editor
York University has withdrawn its legal action against Toronto Life for an article by freelancer Katherine Laidlaw alleging the campus has become a “hunting ground for sexual predators” in the October 2013 issue.
“We haven’t paid any money” as part of the settlement, Toronto Life editor-in-chief Sarah Fulford told J-Source. “They’ve backed down and decided not to pursue legal action.”
In a clarification published in its February issue, Toronto Life said it “acknowledges that York University has gone to great lengths to make its campus as safe as possible. In addition, the magazine never meant to suggest that York is the only university in Toronto faced with the challenges of addressing violence against women.”
Joanne Rider, director of media relations at York, said a settlement was reached in December. “The parties have now complied with their obligations under the settlement,” she said in an email to J-Source.
Related content on J-Source:
- York University gives libel notice to Toronto Life for article alleging campus is “hunting ground for sexual predators”
- Is the media coverage of York University fair? Analyzing the many reports of sexual assaults on campus
- Challenging the way journalists report sexual assault
Tamara Baluja is an award-winning journalist with CBC Vancouver and the 2018 Michener-Deacon fellow for journalism education. She was the associate editor for J-Source from 2013-2014.