A criminal harassment charge against a former University of Iowa fraternity brother has been dismissed, ending a yearslong legal case surrounding an alleged 2020 sexual assault.
Carson Steffen, 23, was charged with first-degree harassment, an aggravated misdemeanor, in 2021. The criminal complaint alleges he shared without permission on Snapchat photos of an individual “engaged in a sexual act” in the early morning hours of Sept. 5, 2020.
The complaint did not identify the alleged victim, but listed an address that matches the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house. The complaint indicated that the incident took place on the same night as the alleged sexual assault against Makena Solberg. Solberg filed a civil suit against Carson Steffen and Jacob Meloan in 2021.
Steffen was one of two former Phi Gamma Delta fraternity members that recently settled with Solberg. The fraternity and Solberg also “reached a resolution at mediation,” Solberg’s attorney previously told the Press-Citizen.
Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann-Smith filed the motion to dismiss the harassment charge on the state’s behalf. She wrote that Solberg had submitted a written request to dismiss the case. Zimmermann-Smith also wrote that the criminal trial, which was scheduled to begin on Dec. 3, could have had an impact on the prior settlement.
More:FIJI brother, fraternity and chapter reach a “resolution” in 2020 sexual assault case
Dismissal brings litigation to a close
Steffen’s dismissal is the final legal action in a pair of cases that caused campus uproar after the sexual assault allegations were revealed more than three years ago. Protesters gathered for hours in front of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house in 2021 and marched through the streets of Iowa City on consecutive days, demanding that the frat shutter.
More:Lawsuit dismissed for FIJI brother accused of sharing photos, videos of alleged sexual assault
In a separate civil case filed in 2022, fraternity member Broc Hawkins was accused of sharing images and videos he received after the alleged incident on Sept. 5, 2020. That case 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 specifics of each settlement were not disclosed publicly.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached atrhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
