Defamation lawsuit filed against Wilder dropped

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A legal fight between former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder and a former dean at Virginia Commonwealth University is over.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that John Accordino dropped a lawsuit against Wilder on Tuesday. The former dean at VCU’s school of government and public affairs, which is named after Wilder, had accused the former governor of defamation.

Wilder initially filed a lawsuit last year, alleging that Accordino had mistreated Wilder’s personal assistant. Accordino responded with a countersuit. Wilder dropped his lawsuit several months later.

Accordino said in a statement Tuesday that Wilder’s lawsuit was “frivolous” but that he had no wish to prolong legal proceedings. He is scheduled to return to teaching at VCU later this year after being on paid leave.

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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.richmond.com