LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A USC journalism professor is suing an unspecified number of still unidentified “Does” who she alleges have defamed her on the social media by falsely linking her to the “Operation Varsity Blues” scandal.
Plaintiff Courtney Pade is a researcher and educator who is employed as a clinical associate professor of communication in the graduate school at USC’s Annenberg School or Communication and Journalism. Pade also is co- director of USC’s Communication Management Program.
The Varsity Blues scandal was allegedly led by William “Rick” Singer by operating a college admissions consulting company and a fraudulent charity, then working with upscale families to get their children into top schools, in part through the manipulation of SAT and ACT score results.
In late October 2024, Pade became the focus of a “coordinated and malicious harassment campaign” by the Does who, according to her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Dec. 20, posted anonymously across multiple social media platforms that Pade was accused of “heinous criminal activity, including involvement in the Varsity Blues scheme.
“Plaintiff was never implicated in any way in connection with `Operation Varsity Blues,”‘ the suit states.
The alleged harassment campaign began when the Does purchased the domain courtneypade.com from Namecheap.com, then created a YouTube channel, calling it “Stand Against Courtney Pade USC,” then earlier in December created an anti-Pade podcast on iHeart Radio, the suit alleges.
The lawsuit cites numerous other allegedly false messaging regarding Pade, including that she is “corrupt, dishonest and (a Hollywood) elitist” and that she is “being exposed for “corruption, racial discrimination and nepotism” as well as “malpractice, corruption, and discrimination.”
Pade seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages as well as an injunction against further false social media postings about her.
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