After three years, a former University of Iowa student has dismissed all claims in an upcoming trial except those against former Phi Gamma Delta member Carson Steffen.
The student, Makéna Solberg, dismissed all claims against the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and Jacob Meloan less than six weeks before the trial was set to take place. The charges were dismissed with prejudice meaning Solberg cannot refile against the fraternity or Meloan.
Solberg’s civil suit was originally filed against FIJI, its UI chapter, Carson Steffen, and Jacob Meloan back in October 2021.
Solberg accused Steffen and Meloan of sexually assaulting her at a party, recording and photographing the assault, and then causing the spread of the recording and photographs among other FIJI members and on social media, according to court documents.
Throughout the court proceedings, the suit has had at most six defendants — accusing multiple entities tied to FIJI of not providing adequate supervision of its members, for not protecting house guests, and for not taking preventative members.
According to court documents, the suit was filed against FIJI entities for “aiding and abetting the alleged assault.”
In August both Solberg and the fraternity filed for a summary judgment and the suit would therefore no longer require a trial in November. Solberg’s request for summary judgment was met with an 18-page resistance filing from Steffan.
The judge has yet to rule on the summary judgments, and the trial is scheduled for Nov. 5 in Tama County.
FIJI and the University of Iowa campus
Solberg — the plaintiff — was publicly identified as a victim of an alleged sexual assault in the incident on Sept. 5, 2020, which was detailed in a change.org petition that garnered over 40,000 signatures and sparked several campus protests in 2021.
The protests on the UI campus called for the abolishment of the UI FIJI chapter and took place over three consecutive days. Each protest had hundreds of attendees.
The first of the three protests began at the FIJI house located at 303 Ellis Ave., where the alleged assault took place.
Just a week before the allegations and protests at the UI, another FIJI chapter in the next state over at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was facing a similar scenario.
FIJI is not listed among the suspended organizations on campus, according to the UI’s website, which shows suspensions since 2018. However, FIJI currently has two conduct violations pending, which were added in March.
Trial delays
The trial — scheduled for Nov. 5 in Tama County — has had several delays.
The original date in 2023 was met with a filing for a change in venue because of a motion filed by FIJI lawyers in August 2023. The motion filed by FIJI lawyers called for a different trial venue because of extensive media coverage.
Solberg’s lawyers submitted a file to keep the trial in Johnson County but the venue change was approved.
The change in trial date had a bit of a domino effect, as it also impacted the date of a separate trial involving Soldberg and a related lawsuit against former FIJI member Broc Hawkins.
Hawkins allegedly shared a video recording of the sexual assault with other individuals, which Hawkins denied, according to court documents.
However, in January of this year, Solberg dropped her suit against Hawkins with prejudice.