Ex-student sues NJ college over alleged ‘brutal’ gang rape at frat house, dorm

A Passaic County woman alleges she was lured into a Ramapo College fraternity party in 2014, then raped several times in two different buildings on a single night while her assailants laughed and recorded the assault.

The lawsuit names Ramapo College and the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, as well as several officials for both and three people who've been charged in connection with the alleged sexual assault.

Justin Sommers and Christopher Rainone of Staten Island, and Jordyn Massod of Wayne were all charged in 2014 with endangering an injured victim in connection with the incident. Sommers and Rainone were also charged with invasion of privacy. The three were all 18 at the time of the incident. All three are named in the suit.

Christian Lopez of Secaucus and Nakeem Gardner of Paterson also were charged with aggravated sexual assault and other offenses. They are not named as defendants in the suit.

All five were offered plea deals this summer, according to a NorthJersey.com report, but their cases are reportedly proceeding to trial.

In the lawsuit, filed last week in federal district court in New Jersey, the woman identified only by the alias of "Jane Jones" alleges she was "recruited" by a 24-year-old pledge to attend the party. She agreed to come to the party, where fraternity members encouraged her and other underage women to drink, the lawsuit says.

After Jones passed out, she said in the suit, she was taken to the bedroom of the fraternity's sergeant-at-arms, John Hogan. Two other members, identified as "CL" and Joshua Newman in the suit, played a game of “rock, paper, scissors” to determine who got to rape her first, she alleges.

Jones said that Hogan came back to his bedroom, and instead of trying to stop what was going on, he kicked "CL" and "Doe" out of the party.  The suit claims "Jones," without underwear, a jacket or shoes, was moved by "CL" across campus to a freshman dorm. Campus security did not question why "Jones" was being carried, nor did security staff ask to check anyone's ID to enter the dorm, the suit alleges.

Once inside, "Jones" says in the suit, Rainone and Sommers let "CL" use the room to continue the assault. The suit also alleges another male referred to as "NG" raped "Jones" while Rainone, Somers and defendant Jordyn Massood cheered them on.

The incident was recorded by one of the defendant's cellphones, according to the suit.

The suit claims Ramapo College had created a "longstanding severely hostile educational environment for female students that was condoned and completely unaddressed by the college" and did not enforce its own sexual harassment policies.

"Ramapo College has not yet been served with this lawsuit. As with any litigation, the college cannot comment on it," Cathy Davey, vice president for institutional advancement wrote in an email to New Jersey 101.5.

Davey said there is no longer a Pi Kappa Alpha chapter on the Ramapo campus.

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