University of Chicago Fraternity Sued Over Alleged Rape Despite Years of Sexual Assault Warnings

A 19-year-old woman has sued Alpha Delta Phi's national organization and its University of Chicago chapter, alleging she was raped at a fraternity party after years of sexual assault complaints went unaddressed. The lawsuit claims the organizations allowed parties to continue despite warnings dating back to 2009, including reports of assaults inside the fraternity house.

Filed October 19, 2026, in Cook County Circuit Court, the negligence lawsuit names Alpha Delta Phi Inc. and its Chicago Society chapter as defendants. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleges she was sexually assaulted on February 7, 2026, during a party at the fraternity house in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood.

According to the complaint, a fraternity member offered Doe a shot of unidentified alcohol shortly before she became lightheaded and unsteady. He allegedly led her upstairs to a bedroom, where he sexually assaulted her as her condition deteriorated. Doe claims she became physically unable to resist or verbally refuse the encounter, and the man disregarded her request to use a condom.

Afterward, the member allegedly left Doe unconscious in the bedroom and returned to the party. Her friends tried to find her but were blocked from going upstairs by another fraternity member, according to the filing. They eventually gained access after the alleged assailant authorized their entry and discovered Doe unconscious. She struggled to speak and walk as they helped her leave.

The following morning, Doe discovered bloodstains in her underwear and reported the alleged assault to Chicago police. Authorities confirmed receiving the report and said she sought treatment at Illinois Masonic Hospital. The criminal investigation remains open.

Doe, who is not a University of Chicago student, alleges the fraternity had been warned about sexual misconduct at its house long before the February incident. The complaint cites two sexual assaults reported within five days of each other in January 2009, including an allegation investigated by Chicago police and university police after a woman was transported by ambulance to an emergency room following the chapter's weekly Bar Night gathering.

A September 2022 Instagram post described another alleged assault at the house and called for disciplinary action against the chapter. Additional misconduct reports allegedly reached the fraternity through internal reporting channels.

Despite that history, Alpha Delta Phi allegedly continued hosting parties without securing residential floors, requiring sober monitors or adopting additional measures to prevent guests from being isolated. Doe argues the earlier reports made the risk of sexual assault foreseeable, giving both the national organization and local chapter reason to strengthen security and supervision.

Their alleged failure to act forms the basis of her negligence claims. The complaint also cites the national fraternity's educational materials explaining that intoxicated or incapacitated individuals cannot consent to sexual activity, a policy Doe contends the organizations inadequately enforced.

She is seeking more than $200,000 in damages for physical injuries, emotional distress and psychological harm associated with the alleged assault.

Alpha Delta Phi said it suspended the member involved after learning of the allegations and described the reported conduct as deeply troubling and inconsistent with the fraternity's values. The national organization pledged to cooperate with law enforcement.

The University of Chicago is named as a respondent in discovery, an Illinois procedure allowing Doe to seek information that could help identify additional defendants. The designation differs from being named as a defendant in the negligence lawsuit.

Doe alleges that university police contacted her after the incident and prepared an investigative report but later required a subpoena before releasing related records. University officials described the allegations as disturbing and said the institution would cooperate with police and provide relevant information.

The university maintains that fraternities and sororities operating near campus are not officially recognized, affiliated with or regulated by the institution, although students remain subject to its conduct policies.

The lawsuit follows a separate October 11 sexual assault report involving the nearby Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house, which prompted another Chicago police investigation and the suspension of chapter events. The two incidents are unrelated.

The Alpha Delta Phi defendants have yet to respond to Doe's negligence claims in court, while Chicago police continue investigating the alleged February assault.