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IU, former student accused in rape cases now being sued

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) – A former IU student connected to two rape cases will have to face a judge again.

This time, he’s being sued and so is the University and the fraternity where he was a member.

Last week, 24-Hour News 8 reported how prosecutors and former IU student, John Enochs, reached a plea deal.

The two rape charges were dropped. Enochs instead pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of battery by moderate bodily injury. His sentence was a year of probation.

There are two civil suits surrounding that case, one for each of the two victims.

The first victim from the 2013 alleged sexual assault is seeking damages from Enochs and Delta Tau Delta (DTD).

The second victim from the 2015 alleged sexual assault is seeking damages from the fraternity as well, but she also feels IU should be held accountable for what happened.

The sun was shining over the campus in Bloomington, but some believe there’s a dark cloud looming above and it’s putting students, specifically women, at risk.

“(IU) knows this is going on and if they don’t take action to prevent it, they are responsible,” said Jeffrey Herman, the attorney representing the victim in the alleged 2015 rape.

Although that specific charge didn’t stick in court, Herman feels that IU and DTD, where his client claimed to be raped, are both negligent when it came to protecting women from sexual assault.

His civil suit claims the fraternity fostered a dangerous environment of illegal, illicit, and sexually abusive behavior.

“I believe that we have enough evidence now and enough history here to know that IU cannot or is not willing to control the underage drinking on campus and I think it’s time they disband the entire fraternity system at IU,” he said.

While Herman is confident in his case, the lawyer defending Enochs and DTD in the other civil suit disagrees. The plaintiff in that suit is a woman who claimed Enochs raped her in 2013.

“I think it’s very disingenuous of the plaintiff to allege that the fraternity sponsored an environment where things like this happen. First of all, nothing happened,” Attorney Kitty Liell said of the 2013 incident.

Liell also defended Enochs in the criminal case and felt he should have never been charged with rape, let alone arrested.

“The DNA identified John Enochs certainly, but it also had two other men on it, too. There were three men whose DNA was found on that young woman,” she said of the 2013 incident.

Regardless of which side wins their case, Herman said the victims have already lost.

“It’s a life-sentence of pain and suffering, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, unable to trust and her life’s been turned upside down,” he said of his client.

Herman wouldn’t give a specific dollar amount, but said since the case is centered on sexual assault that he would be seeking millions of dollars in damages.