Lawsuit Alleges New York Magazine Article Falsely Reports that Wang was an Accomplice to Sexual Misconduct in 2010 and Falsely Reports that Wang Had Been Terminated by the Philharmonic Based on That Accusation
Lawsuit Alleges Article's Narrative is Demonstrably False, Quoting the Actual Content of the Same Police Records and 2020 Arbitration Decision that The Article Claims to Rely Upon
May 22, 2024 – NEW YORK – Liang Wang, principal oboe of the New York Philharmonic since 2006, has sued Vox Media, publisher of New York Magazine, and freelance reporter Sammy Sussman for defamation in connection with accusations made in an article published by the magazine's online "Vulture" section. The suit, filed today in federal court, alleges that the defendants knew or were reckless in not knowing the article's accusations against Wang were false, and accuses Sussman of continuing to defame Wang even after the article was published.
The complaint requests a trial by jury and demands $100 million in compensatory damages.
Alan Lewis, Partner at Carter, Ledyard and Milburn and attorney for Mr. Wang said in summarizing the Complaint's allegations:
"New York Magazine published an article that was a gross departure from journalistic ethics and standards. The Corporate publisher and the author knew that the article was false because the Police records and arbitration decision cited by the article all disprove the false narrative published about Liang Wang.
"The article's contention is that Wang put a drug into the drink of a musician so that a third musician could assault her – a defamatory claim for which there has never been a scintilla of evidence. In fact, Liang was never even accused of any impropriety by anyone in Vail – not by the police and not by the Philharmonic or any of its members.
"The article builds on this defamation by suggesting that Wang had previously been fired for this alleged misconduct by the Philharmonic, but as the article details with quotations from the arbitration decision, that is simply false.
"The story has permanently damaged Liang's reputation, and the shockwaves throughout the industry have compromised his career, his reputation and his dignity."
The case is 1:24-cv-03987 filed in the Southern District of New York.