Woman Sues Wesleyan University for Failure to Protect From Assault by Yorktown Man

A former Wesleyan University student filed a federal lawsuit Oct. 5 charging the college failed to protect her from a frat-party rape in 2010, according to the Hartford Courant.

The man involved in the case is John O'Neill, 22, of Yorktown, who was sentenced in June to 15 months in prison after he pleaded 'no contest' to charges of third-degree assault and first-degree unlawful restraint, according to the paper. 

The Yorktown man's plea means he neither admitted nor denied the charges and facts alleged against him, according to the Middletown Press. He had been originally charged with first-degree sexual assault.

O'Neill was not a Wesleyan student but was visiting someone at the fraternity house in October 2010, according to reports. 

The lawsuit called the the Mu Epsilon chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at 184 High St. in Middletown a "rape factory," the Courant reported.

According to the Wesleyan student newspaper, The Argus, "The student, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was raped at the Beta fraternity house by an individual who is not a Wesleyan student on the night of Saturday, Oct. 30. According to her allegations, the assault took place in a room upstairs. The student said that she was sober that night."

According to the Courant, the lawsuit states that the college took action against the Beta chapter and then revoked it; meanwhile, the woman was intimidated and harassed by others on campus who opposed action against the fraternity. She has since transferred.

O’Neill is serving a 15-month prison sentence at Osborn Correctional Institution, according to news reports. 

To read more about the case including statements from the victim and the man accused of the assault, click here.

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