CSU fraternity brothers accused of drugging and rape in new lawsuit

A lawsuit filed in Larimer County District Court accuses multiple Colorado State University Phi Delta Theta fraternity members of helping drug and transport a woman before one member raped her after a fraternity-affiliated off-campus party in October 2024.

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 1, names the accused rapist, the national Phi Delta Theta fraternity, its Colorado Gamma chapter and about a dozen fraternity members. The woman's attorney, Keith Langston, said she is seeking accountability and hopes the case leads to safer fraternity events.

According to the lawsuit, the woman attended the off-campus party on Oct. 4, 2024, after drinking alcohol at her sorority house. She did not consume anything at the party until she asked the accused man for a glass of water, the lawsuit says. He told another fraternity member to get it for her, and shortly after drinking it she began losing her balance and struggling to stay conscious.

As her condition worsened, the accused man contacted one of the fraternity's designated sober drivers, the lawsuit says. The woman asked to be taken to her sorority house, but the driver asked the accused man where to go and instead took them to the Phi Delta Theta house, according to the complaint.

At the fraternity house, the accused man pushed the stumbling woman up the stairs and into his bedroom, where she lost consciousness, the lawsuit states. He raped her while she was incapacitated, the complaint says. After the assault, he sent her outside to find a way home alone after 2 a.m., according to the lawsuit.

Two days later, on Oct. 6, 2024, the woman went to a hospital for an examination that found injuries consistent with sexual assault, the lawsuit says. She later filed a Title IX complaint with Colorado State University, accusing the man of sexual assault.

Colorado State University suspended the man for one year on July 16, 2026, after an investigation and hearing found him responsible for violating the Title IX policy prohibiting sexual assault, according to Colorado State University. He appealed the decision, and the university denied the appeal on Sept. 11, 2026, the lawsuit says.

Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters said the man was removed from the fraternity in October 2024 as a result of the incident.