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.
asserted
she → file → 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.
asserted
assault → identify → Feb.
It names Alpha Delta Phi Inc. and Chicago Society of Alpha Delta Phi as defendants.
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It → name → defendants
“The grief that this has imposed upon me is indescribable,” Doe told NBC News in an interview.
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Doe → impose → 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.”
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I → think → ?
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.
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she → come → 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.
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it → recognize → investigation
“These allegations are very disturbing to the University community,” said a university spokesperson, Gerald McSwiggan.
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spokesperson → say → community
“The University of Chicago is committed to addressing and preventing incidents of sexual assault.”
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University → commit → 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.”
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it → say → member
“The conduct described is deeply troubling and inconsistent with our values,” it said.
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it → describe → values
“We are committed to the safety and well-being of our members and communities and will cooperate with law enforcement as appropriate.”
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We → commit → enforcement
Alpha Delta Phi’s Chicago chapter referred all requests to its national organization.
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chapter → refer → organization
Doe — who is not a student at the University of Chicago — said she learned about the party on Instagram and had gone to parties at the fraternity house previously.
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she → say → house
That night, she said, she went to the party with several friends, none of whom are students at the university.
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none → say → university
Doe said she was dancing with friends when a fraternity brother approached her.
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brother → say → her
The fraternity brother offered her a shot, which she said immediately made her feel unsteady and lightheaded, according to the lawsuit.
uncertain
her → offer → lawsuit
She said she had had only two drinks before she took the shot, spaced out over roughly two hours.
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she → say → hours
She described having the “spins” and feeling as though her “vision was underwater.”
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vision → describe → spins
“I know myself, and that was not the amount with how intoxicated I felt after the shot that I took with him,” she said.
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she → know → him
“I’ve never felt like that before.”
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I → feel → that
She added that she watched the fraternity brother pour the shot and did not notice anything “odd.”
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brother → add → anything
The fraternity member then directed Doe to follow him to a secluded bedroom on a different floor of the fraternity house, according to the lawsuit.
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member → direct → lawsuit
Doe expressed her unsteadiness and lightheadedness, which the fraternity member ignored, the lawsuit says.
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lawsuit → express → which
The fraternity brother began to make “unwanted and nonconsensual sexual advances” on the woman, the lawsuit says.
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lawsuit → begin → woman
It says she “lost all physical and verbal ability to refuse” the fraternity member’s alleged sexual advances.
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she → say → advances
“I remember backing onto the bed because I knew what was about to happen, but I just — I didn’t feel like I was strong enough to get out,” she told NBC News.
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she → remember → News
The lawsuit says that although her verbal ability was limited, she managed to plead with the fraternity brother to wear a condom, which he refused to do.
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he → say → which
The fraternity brother then penetrated her “without her consent,” the lawsuit says.
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lawsuit → penetrate → consent
After the alleged encounter, the man left Doe alone and unconscious, according to the suit.
uncertain
man → allege → suit
It alleges that other fraternity brothers initially blocked her friend from going upstairs to find her.
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brothers → allege → her
Her friend found her unconscious and helped her out of the house, according to the complaint.
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friend → find → complaint
She said that she faintly remembers her shirt being on backward when she woke up but that she was not sure how she got her clothes on.
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she → say → clothes
She struggled to speak and walk as they escorted her out of the home, according to the lawsuit.
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they → struggle → lawsuit
Doe said she slept over at her friend’s dorm room that night.
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she → say → room
The next morning, Doe found bloodstains in her underwear and went to the hospital, where she reported the incident to the Chicago Police Department, according to a police report.
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she → find → report
Doe told police she believed the alcohol was laced with something, according to the report.
uncertain
alcohol → tell → report
Police confirmed that a 19-year-old who reported a sexual assault at the fraternity house took herself to Illinois Masonic Hospital for treatment on Feb. 8.
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who → confirm → Feb.
Doe received a sexual assault evidence collection kit at the hospital, according to the police report.
uncertain
Doe → receive → report
Days later, the woman was contacted by the University of Chicago Police Department, which she said was investigating her case.
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she → contact → case
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
