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Accusing Someone Who Called Police of "Blatant Racial Profiling" May Be Defamation

In Riera v. Central Washington University, faculty member Miguel Riera sued colleague Erin Erdman for defamation after she labeled his April 1 police call as an "incident of blatant racial profiling." The district court permitted the claim to proceed, finding that Erdman's statement could be false and may fall outside the common‑interest privilege that typically protects faculty‑senate communications. The judge highlighted two potential exceptions: Erdman’s lack of official note‑taking duties and the possibility she acted with actual malice. A jury will now decide whether the privilege applies and if the statement was defamatory.