Cabri Chamberlin says she was raped in front of others at a campus fraternity party.
I'm proceeding in this case with my real name instead of 'Jane Doe' because as the victim of a heinous violent crime I've done nothing wrong and have nothing to be ashamed of," Chamberlin said in a statement provided by her lawyer. "I can't even describe the pain of being raped, or how much it alters a life, and no other person should ever be forced to have that experience. I hope my experience and lawsuit will create changes that protect others."
The lawsuit says the fraternity contractually demands self-governance from Wesleyan, relinquishing the public safety and housing services the university generally provides to students.
The fraternity allegedly failed to adequately provide its own security, and the defendants failed to train themselves in safety and risk management issues, including sexual abuse prevention, hazing and the misuse of alcohol, according to the lawsuit.
Chamberlin's lawyer, Douglas Fierberg, said that because the fraternity sets itself apart from the university, officers from the university's Department of Public Safety can enter the fraternity only in "exigent circumstances" or when specifically asked to come in.
Chamberlin has taken a leave of absence from the university since the attack and is receiving "intensive counseling, trying to pull her life together," her lawyer said.
Chamberlin is seeking $10 million in damages, the lawsuit says.
In 2012, a Wesleyan student sued the university and another fraternity, which Wesleyan no longer recognizes as a student organization, after she said she was raped in its frat house two years before. The fraternity had garnered the on-campus reputation as the "Rape Factory," according to the lawsuit. Her assailant pleaded guilty to assault and unlawful restraint, court papers said.
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