HELENA – The Montana Supreme Court has rejected author Jon Krakauer’s request for records on how a state higher education official handled a rape allegation against a star quarterback.
The court ruled 4-3 Wednesday the quarterback’s privacy interests outweigh the public’s right to know if and why Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian reversed a decision to expel him.
The ruling overturns a Helena judge’s order last year to release the records to the Krakauer, who requested them as he was writing the 2015 book “Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town.”
Jordan Johnson was quarterback for the University of Montana when an acquaintance accused him of rape in 2012. The university determined that Johnson should be expelled, but he remained enrolled after appealing to Christian.
Johnson was acquitted of the rape charge in state court.