Woman sexually assaulted at fraternity near University of Chicago, lawsuit alleges

A 19-year-old woman filed a lawsuit Monday alleging she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house near the University of Chicago in February amid heightened scrutiny of sexual misconduct on college campuses.The college student, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, sued in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging that the sexual assault took place during a party at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house on Feb.7.

It names Alpha Delta Phi Inc.and Chicago Society of Alpha Delta Phi as defendants.“The grief that this has imposed upon me is indescribable,” Doe told NBC News in an interview.

“It is the first thing I think about whenever I wake up every day and the last thing I think about whenever I fall asleep.”Doe’s case comes weeks after a former Cornell University student claimed in a lawsuit that she was gang-raped at a fraternity party, causing national outrage, and just days after a woman reported that she was sexually assaulted at a party hosted by a different fraternity near the University of Chicago.The University of Chicago, which does not recognize fraternities as official student organizations, said in a statement that it was “prepared to help the Chicago Police Department” in its investigation.“These allegations are very disturbing to the University community,” said a university spokesperson, Gerald McSwiggan.“The University of Chicago is committed to addressing and preventing incidents of sexual assault.”Alpha Delta Phi’s national team said in a statement that it is aware of the allegations and that it “suspended the member involved.”“The conduct described is deeply troubling and inconsistent with our values,” it said.

“We are committed to the safety and well-being of our members and communities and will cooperate with law enforcement as appropriate.”Alpha Delta Phi’s Chicago chapter referred all requests to its national organization.Doe — who is not a student at the University of Chicago — said she learned ab...