A lawsuit filed in September alleges that a member of ASU's Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter recorded and distributed a nude video of a female student. University President Michael Crow said he is unaware of the lawsuit as the fraternity remains on campus amid an ongoing University investigation.
The female student filed the lawsuit in the Maricopa County Superior Court against the University chapter of SAE, the National SAE fraternity and several student members.
"I'm aware of the lawsuits filed against the University," Crow said in an interview with The State Press on Oct. 24. "I'm not aware of lawsuits filed against other organizations."
The lawsuit alleges that in November 2023, during her second year at the University, the plaintiff attended a Halloween party hosted by ASU SAE. At the party, she met a brother of the fraternity with whom she entered a brief relationship. That brother has been named as a defendant in the suit.
The plaintiff alleged that the brother took a nude video of her in a bedroom and later distributed it to over 170 members of the ASU SAE Chapter.
The plaintiff said she had no knowledge that the video was taken or the fact that it was distributed until March 2025. According to the lawsuit, she finally learned of its existence after a chapter member saw it in a group chat titled "Spring 25 Brotherhood."
"ASU takes seriously any report of student misconduct, and when substantiated, takes appropriate action to address the misconduct," Lance Harrop, the associate vice president for Educational Outreach and Student Services and dean of students on the Tempe campus, said in an email statement. "Given student privacy laws and considerations for providing a fair student conduct process, we cannot provide additional comment at this time."
A University spokesperson said they were unable to comment on any disciplinary steps being taken by the school in order to "protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation by Student Rights and Responsibilities."
According to the lawsuit, the distribution of the video among the fraternity members was part of ASU SAE's hazing ritual.
"Witness testimony confirms that the ASU Chapter of SAE has a hazing tradition that requires new member pledges to disseminate nude images of women they have (allegedly) 'hooked up with' (had sex with) to other members of the fraternity," according to the lawsuit.
It is further alleged that "the hazing ritual depicts females who appear to be unconscious ('passed out') or sleeping," and that other videos "depict females who appear to be completely unaware that they are being photographed or recorded."
Upon learning about the video's existence and distribution in coordination with this hazing process, the plaintiff said in the lawsuit she notified the ASU SAE Chapter president, the National SAE fraternity and filed a complaint with the University.
After making these reports, the chapter's executive board first attempted to "destroy evidence related to the incident and intimidate the Plaintiff," before they eventually "suspended" the brother who took the explicit video, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit said in spite of this suspension, the brother was still "allowed to live in the Greek Leadership Village" where he "continued to utilize his power within the fraternity to intimidate witnesses and bully the Plaintiff."
The alleged lack of true repercussions for the brother who took the explicit video, which are laid out in the lawsuit, backed the claim of gross negligence against the ASU SAE Chapter. The lawsuit said the alleged negligence stemmed from ASU SAE's duty to properly oversee and report members of the fraternity for such actions.
Lack of disciplinary actions also drew claims in the lawsuit against the National SAE Chapter for their failure to recognize the presence of such hazing and not putting a stop to it.
The national chapter has faced public criticism from previous traditions and incidents that have taken place on its watch.
The lawsuit cites the 2015 documentary, "The Hunting Ground," which shows "SAE members' chronic involvement in sexual assaults, and a misogynistic and sexualized, predatory culture that permeates the SAE Fraternity," according to the lawsuit.
The National SAE Chapter did not provide a comment for this article.
As a result of the alleged negligence and distribution of the explicit video, the plaintiff suffered from "extreme weight loss, hair loss, and insomnia" while also undergoing "tremendous emotional and mental stress," according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also mentions "reputational and financial damage" caused by the video leak and aftermath.
Defamatory comments mentioned in the lawsuit allegedly include words used by the SAE brother responsible for the video, who referred to her as "good for nothing" and other sexual obscenities.
The lawsuit said the plaintiff suffers from financial damage as a member of an unnamed sorority that fined the plaintiff for missing "mandatory sorority events." The plaintiff said in the lawsuit that she avoids such events "due to embarrassment."
The ASU Panhellenic Council, which oversees 15 of the major sororities within the University, released a statement speaking on the need for solidarity with those like the plaintiff.
The statement went on to emphasize the need for response and action to be taken for the parties involved.
"We recognize that accountability for this incident rests with the university and governing organizations, and we will continue to advocate for these standards to be upheld," The Panhellenic Council said in a written statement. "Accountability will remain central to this work and our community's future."
Neither the ASU chapter of SAE nor the individually named defendants responded to comment on the situation, and no response has been filed to the complaint by any of the involved parties.
Edited by Senna James, George Headley, Sophia Braccio and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at sluba@asu.edu and follow @samluba6 on X.
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Sam Luba is a Senior Reporter with the State Press, focusing on longer form news stories and breaking news coverage. He is a Sophomore studying political science and justice studies, and is a competitor with Sun Devil Mock Trial. He was the Editor-in-Chief of his high school news magazine. He is in his 3rd Semester with the State Press, working previously as a Part-Time Political Reporter.
