Former UI fraternity member dropped from lawsuit

Lang
1/27/24

A former University of Iowa fraternity member has been dropped from a lawsuit filed by the alleged victim in a sexual assault case.

Makena Solberg claims two members of Phi Gamma Delta…more commonly known as “FIJI”…sexually assaulted her while she was intoxicated in September of 2020. The lawsuit names UI FIJI members Carson Steffen and Jacob Meloan as defendants, as well as the fraternity itself and other related entities. Steffen also faces a criminal count of 1^st Degree Harassment after he allegedly sent images of the incident to other FIJI members via Snapchat.

Solberg is seeking monetary and punitive damages. The lawsuit is set to be heard in November.

Court records show one FIJI member has now been dropped from the lawsuit. That member reportedly saw the images, but was not present for the alleged assault.

Steffen’s criminal trial is set to begin on June 4^th.