ABSTRACT
In 2018, an otherwise unknown woman alleged that a United States Supreme Court nominee had assaulted her while they were in high school; the claim propelled the woman into headlines and made her a public figure, both culturally and legally. This article argues that such a ‘public figure’ distinction can be undone, that headline-making #MeToo individuals and others can and should be able to return to private life in a legal sense once enough time has passed. Such a right to be forgotten finds support in early and modern case law, in foundational legal scholarship and assessments, and in newsrooms. But this invited article ultimately finds that this particular woman cannot return to her private status anytime soon because, in 2024, if indeed she had returned to private life, events of her own design made her into a public figure once again.
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Amy Gajda, Becoming private after public allegations: a right to be forgotten for #MeToo accusers in the United States, Journal of Media Law. Published online: 21 April 2026.
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