A pro-choice professor at the University of Notre Dame has
lost a defamation lawsuit against a conservative student newspaper that she claimed misrepresented and defamed her.
Tamara Kay, a sociology and global affairs professor, sued "The Irish Rover" in May over two of its articles that she said contained "false and defamatory information," according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital. The complaint specifically named two student journalists, W. Joseph DeReuil and Luke Thompson.
In response, "The Rover" argued the lawsuit violated the state of Indiana's "Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation" law.
St. Joseph County Judge Steven David
ruled against Kay on Monday and wrote that the alleged defamatory statements were, in fact, true, not made with actual malice and did not contain "a defamatory inference," The College Fix reported. Stevens noted there were no damages that could be "causally linked" to the articles in question and the reporting was "lawful."
"The Court concludes that the allegedly defamatory statements were made in the furtherance of the defendant's right to free speech, were made in connection with a public issue, were made with good faith and with a reasonable basis in law and fact," Judge David added.
Kay has shared a number of pro-abortion resources on her Twitter, labeling herself a Notre Dame "abortion rights expert," offering to "help as a private citizen if you have issues w access or cost. DM me [sic]," according to previous social media posts reported on by the Irish Rover.
As such, the court determined Kay had a documented history of "advocating abortion legalization" in public comments, through social media and published commentary, such as newspapers and academic journals.
Such action, the court found, meant that Kay "intentionally placed herself into the national discussion on abortion."
The student newspaper
also reported Kay had a sign on her campus office door that read: "This is a SAFE SPACE to get help and information on ALL Healthcare issues and access — confidentially with care and compassion."