Woman sues University of Iowa, fraternity over sex assault
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted at a University of Iowa fraternity is suing two men and the fraternity.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges two members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, also known as Iowa FIJI, assaulted her at a party at the fraternity in September 2020. She also alleges the assault was filmed and photographed and the images were widely circulated.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages from the two men and the fraternity. It also names and Mu Deuteron, the corporate entity under which FIJI operates, and the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation, a nonprofit based in Kentucky.
The Associated Press is not naming the two men because they have not been charged. They were expelled from the fraternity, The Iowa City Press-Citizen reported.
The lack of charges prompted several protests on the University of Iowa campus, including on Aug. 31, when about 1,000 people gathered outside of the fraternity house and a second location calling for action on the case and to abolish the fraternity.
An online petition making similar demands had more than 167,000 signatures as of Tuesday.
The AP does not typically name alleged victims of sexual assault.