Notre Dame Professor Loses Libel Lawsuit Against Student Newspaper

Court Rules Statements About Professor's Promotion of Abortion Access Were True

Prof. Tamara Kay, a sociology professor at Notre Dame, lost a libel lawsuit against student newspaper The Irish Rover. She had claimed the paper made false and defamatory statements about her.
The articles in question reported that Kay was promoting abortion access to students, despite Notre Dame's policy opposing abortion in line with the Catholic Church's stance.
Judge Steven David ruled that the statements made about Kay in the articles were true, not made with actual malice, and did not contain a defamatory inference.
Kay had placed a poster on her office door indicating a safe space for all healthcare issues, which was interpreted by the paper as offering help to students seeking abortions.
The court found that Kay had intentionally placed herself into the national discussion on abortion through her social media posts and published commentary.