Editor’s note: This story has been updated because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy. Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann-Smith wrote in court documents that the civil settlement could impact the criminal case.
A criminal harassment charge against a former University of Iowa fraternity brother has been dismissed, ending a yearslong lawsuit surrounding an alleged 2020 sexual assault.
Carson Steffen, 23, was charged with harassment in the first degreean aggravated felony, in 2021. The indictment alleges that he shared photos of a person “involved in a sexual act” without consent on Snapchat in the early morning hours of September 5, 2020.
The complaint did not identify the alleged victim but listed an address consistent with the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house. The complaint shows that the incident occurred on the same evening as the suspect sexual assault against Makena Solberg. Solberg filed a civil suit against Carson Steffen and Jacob Meloan in 2021.
Steffen was one of two former members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity that has recently been settled with Solberg. The brotherhood and Solberg too”reached a solution through mediation,Solberg’s lawyer previously told Press-Citizen.
Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann-Smith filed a motion on behalf of the state to dismiss the harassment charge. She wrote that Solberg had submitted a written request to dismiss the case. Zimmermann-Smith also wrote that the settlement could have had an impact on the criminal trial, which was set to begin on December 3.
The dismissal puts an end to the lawsuit
Steffen’s dismissal is the latest legal action in a few cases That caused an uproar on campus after the sexual abuse allegations unveiled more than three years ago. Protesters gathered in front of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house for hours in 2021 and marched through the streets of Iowa City on consecutive days, demanding the fraternity close.
In a separate civil case filed in 2022, association member Broc Hawkins was accused of sharing images and videos he received after the alleged incident on September 5, 2020. was dismissed with prejudice in January.
Solberg settled or “reached a resolution” with all of the defendants in the original civil lawsuit: Steffen, Jacob Meloan, the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and the Mu Deuteron chapter of the frat. The details of each settlement have not been made public.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.