YPSILANTI, Mich. – A judge has temporarily halted parties at an Eastern Michigan University fraternity where social gatherings have been linked to numerous sexual assaults in recent years.
Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge Tim Connors issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday that Ypsilanti city officials and county prosecutors had sought in a public nuisance lawsuit filed in January against Delta Tau Delta.
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Under Connors' order, no alcohol is allowed at any Delta Tau Delta facility and there may be no more than five guests at any fraternity-controlled property, including the fraternity house.
Connors said the fraternity had created “nuisance conditions" by unlawfully furnishing alcohol to minors and creating an “environment conducive to sexual assaults that has engendered fear in the community."
The ruling comes after Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit and the City of Ypsilanti sued to stop “alcohol-fueled parties” at the fraternity, which they said had 15 reported sexual assault cases since 2014 that occurred either at or following parties.
The fraternity had filed a motion to dismiss the suit earlier this month.
Brian Morley, an attorney representing the fraternity, has previously said the lawsuit was an indictment of the actions of a few students over several years.
He said following Wednesday's hearing that he was “disappointed” by the judge’s ruling.
“I don’t think there was a basis for it,” Morley said.