An LSU professor has been named among a handful of defendants in a lawsuit alleging defamation against a Pennsylvania state senator, The Center Square reports.
Sen. Doug Mastriano, a former GOP gubernatorial candidate, sued James Gregory Jr. in May after he discovered and reported more than 200 instances of potential academic misconduct in Mastriano’s PhD dissertation pertaining to a World War I hero.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed a motion on Thursday to throw out the lawsuit against the LSU adjunct professor, who also serves as William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum director and is a former Oklahoma historian.
Mastriano also sued on federal claims including RICO and antitrust violations. The senator is seeking at least $10 million in damages from a Canadian university and nearly two dozen academics.
“Historians arrive at the truth by debating ideas, inviting skepticism, and challenging assumptions and sources,” Gregory says. “By trying to silence that debate, Mastriano is literally on the wrong side of history—and history will prevail.”
Read the full article on The Center Square.
