Suit against Hofstra student newspaper dropped

NEW YORK — A state appellate court upheld the dismissal of a former student’s case against the student newspaper at Hofstra University in a ruling issued Dec. 4.Michael Liebgold sued Hofstra’s student newspaper, The Chronicle, for libel in April of 1996 because of a series of four articles and one editorial about Liebgold’s involvement in a sexual assault case.The Chronicle said it accurately reported the facts of the case and in June of 1996 asked a New York state court to dismiss the case. In October 1996 the court dismissed Liebgold’s suit saying the articles were not defamatory.In November of the same year, Liebgold filed an appeal with the appellate division court.The decision in Liebgold v. Hofstra University upholding the dismissal of the case stated “…the articles contain substantially truthful and factual assertations.”