A New York State Supreme Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Knight Landesman, the 68-year-old co-owner and former publisher of Artforum magazine, that alleged he repeatedly sexually harrassed a former employee and another eight women who came forward. Artforum was named in the case for allegedly failing to stop the unwanted advances.

The plaintiff, New York-based curator Amanda Schmitt, filed a motion in October 2017 that accused Landesman, a longtime art world figure, of sexual misconduct, including unwanted advances, harrassing emails and in-person confrontations, and defamatory comments. Schmitt left Artforum in 2012, and therefore the statute of limitations for her case against Landesman and Artforum expired, said the judge. 

When the allegations were first made public, Landesman resigned within hours. The same day, Artforum editor-in-chief Michelle Kuo also resigned from her position, citing her reasons to ARTnews: “I felt that, in light of the troubling allegations surrounding one of our publishers, I could no longer serve as a public representative of Artforum. We need to make the art world a more equitable, just, and safe place for women at all levels. And that can only be achieved when organizations and communities are bound by shared trust, honesty, and accountability.” Kuo is now working at the Museum of Modern Art.

According to the New York Times, Schmitt's lawyers are considering an appeal.