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#metoo Coverage: Dilan Esper on Joshua Wright's Defamation Lawsuit

Season 2, Ep. 42

In the fourth part of this coverage of the sexual misconduct allegations against ex-George Mason University law professor and former FTC Commissioner Joshua Wright, Irina has a conversation with Dilan Esper, an experienced litigator in areas that include defamation law and the First Amendment. Dilan walks listeners through Josh's highly unusual defamation legal complaint against two of the women who accused Josh of misconduct, Elyse Dorsey and Angela Landry. Irina and Dilan focus on some of the most controversial parts of this legal document, and Dilan explains how Josh likely fails to meet the standard to get past a defendant motion to dismiss. Dilan also shows why things will probably get even worse for Josh if he does make it past such a motion, quite possibly resulting in more damaging materials and testimony appearing during the discovery process. Come find out why Dilan says that despite reading thousands of complaints in his career, Josh's complaint is unmatched in the extent to which it opens a window into a man's dark soul.


SOTI ep. 39 with Prof. Christa Laser


SOTI ep. 40 with Prof. Brandy Wagstaff


SOTI ep. 41 with Aliza Shatzman


Dilan Esper's profile


Dilan's Twitter


Joshua Wright's defamation lawsuit against Elyse Dorsey and Angela Landry (redacted by Christa Laser)


Bloomberg coverage


Global Competition Review article about GMU's reaction to the allegations


Note: According to a statement printed in the media by Lindsay McKasson, counsel to Joshua Wright at Binall Law Group "all allegations of sexual misconduct are false," "These false allegations are being made public after unsuccessfully demanding millions of dollars behind closed doors," and "We look forward to total vindication in court." According to a tweet by Prof. Christa Laser, "I don't appreciate that his attorney falsely suggests we are all lying (1/2 was in writing!) & want $ (this is a lie–I only want him gone)."


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