Wall Street Journal Libeled Him, Alleged Abuse Victim Says In $7 Million Claim

MANHATTAN (CN) - The Wall Street Journal "maliciously attacked" and defamed a man whom a priest had sexually molested as a child, identifying the victim by name and alleging that he had "claimed to be sexually abused by a priest for the purpose of extracting a monetary settlement from the diocese," says the man, who demands $7.7 million.

The plaintiff claims the offending article was written by the Journal's editorial writer, Dorothy Rabinowitz, and published as a signed opinion piece on April 27, 2005. Rabinowitz won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2001.

The plaintiff claims the leading newspaper in his home state, The New Hampshire Union Leader, followed up the Journal's article with an article of its own, reporting: "Rabinowitz yesterday defended the naming of one of MacRae's accusers in the civil class-action lawsuit. 'I'll tell you why because the cloak of anonymity is the worst encouragement to a false abuse climate; that is the problem.' Thus spoke Dorothy Rabinowitz, a member of the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, and so the Wall Street Journal 'outed' (the plaintiff)."

The plaintiff is represented in Federal Court by Richard Mortner.

Wall Street Journal Libeled Him, Alleged Abuse Victim Says In $7 Million Claim

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