Former University of Iowa Phi Gamma Delta, also known as FIJI, fraternity member Jacob Meloan accused 24 people of libel and slander in an Aug. 31 filing in Linn County court.

According to the filing, Meloan is accusing the 24 people of “past and present statements” for accusing him of being an alleged “rapist.” 

Meloan is a defendant in a lawsuit brought by UI student Makéna Solberg, who said Meloan and Carson Steffen reportedly drugged and sexually assaulted her in September 2020. 

The lawsuit alleges the two fraternity members videoed and disseminated the video of the assault. 

Meloan’s filing accuses the 24 people, which consist of former UI students, a UI staff member, and a person sharing Solberg’s last name, of spreading false statements that resulted in Meloan leaving the university, and persistent damage to his reputation and loss of wages. 

The filing asserts that Meloan never planned, perpetrated, or helped sexually assault Solberg. 

Steffen is named as a co-defendant in Solberg’s lawsuit, along with the national Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and its UI chapter. 

Solberg asks judge to reconsider change of venue ruling

Solberg, through her attorney, asked a Johnson County judge to reconsider his ruling to grant the defendant’s change of venue motion. On Aug. 30, a Johnson County judge ordered the trial to be moved to Tama County because of the extensive media coverage and bias in Johnson County. 

Solberg’s attorneys argued that the court erred in granting, or made a mistake, in the motion to transfer the case to Tama County.  

The filing said the defendants’ motion filing was “deficient and non-compliant” with court procedural rules making the filing null and void. 

The trial is set for November 2024 in Tama County.