Publisher Drops Defamation Suit Against Librarian

Edwin Mellen Press, which had instituted a defamation suit against Dale Askey, a librarian at McMaster University, as well as the University, has decided to drop the suit, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. In separate litigation, the Press's founder had also sued Mr. Askey; CHE notes that it's not immediately clear whether that litigation will continue. Many bloggers and academics had criticized the suits, saying they were an attack on academic freedom.