Last week The Tuscaloosa News displayed a full-page advertisement from the attorney of Terry Bunn, Jr. regarding the allegations of wrongful death in the lawsuit that has been filed against his client. Bunn, Jr. has been the center of media attention ever since a Buzzfeed article was released in June which claimed he sexually assaulted a UA student named Megan Rondini. 

The article went on to claim that after reporting the incident and not receiving significant help from Tuscaloosa Police or the University, Rondini dropped out of UA to return to her hometown in Texas and eventually committed suicide. 

After the story came out, the Rondini family, represented by Birmingham lawyer Leroy Maxwell Jr., filed a wrongful death lawsuit with members of the Tuscaloosa Police Department and the University.

Ivey Gilmore, the attorney for Bunn, Jr., came to defense of his client in the ad by saying the lawsuit and media attention are “character assassination” and claims that a sexual assault never took place.

The ad reads “The horrible, misleading and blatantly false accusations of BuzzFeed and malicious false assertions of social media attackers are designed to do nothing more than attempt to extort money with a lawsuit. These ‘journalists’ have used selective facts, gossip and have outright lied about the facts of the case.”

The ad goes on to read that the matter is being reviewed in open court and that all the evidence, including text messages, will be on display. The ad says it is “regretful” that the lawsuit will bring intense examination of Rondini’s actions and her friends.

However, not everyone is convinced this ad does anything to help Bunn Jr.’s case. Those who filed the lawsuit for the Rondini family said this ad “reeks of desperation” and is an attempt to bully the Rondini family out of the lawsuit. A representative from Maxwell’s firm is quoted saying that this ad, if anything, shows how the text messages, among other evidence, will prove the legitimacy of the lawsuit, saying that this was an example of “victim blaming.”

The lawsuit regarding the Rondini family and Bunn, Jr. is still ongoing.