Cornell University rape case victim alleges some who violated her were let off by writing essays; varsity pushes back with its version highlighting the punishments meted out

A dispute over whether Cornell University punished students accused of a 2024 sexual assault with little more than essay writing has intensified after prosecutors reopened the criminal investigation. The former student who filed a civil lawsuit alleges that several of the accused fraternity members were temporarily suspended and then “afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays” to the university.

Cornell has rejected the suggestion that essay writing was the sole consequence and says the university imposed more serious sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions.

What the lawsuit alleges about the essays

The accusation is made in a civil suit filed on September 14, where a former Cornell University student referred to as Jane Doe accused seven male students linked to Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity of sexually assaulting her in their fraternity house in October 2024 after they forced her to take drugs and drink alcohol.

Doe reported the assault to Cornell police on November 8, 2024, after which, some of the accused received temporary suspensions. The complaint says the defendants were subsequently “offered the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to the University.”

The claim received renewed attention after Doe's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, told CBS News: "Other than her initial contact with Cornell Police, she was not contacted by investigators from the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office or any investigators trained in interviewing rape survivors."

Citing Giuffra’s claim, CBS added that “two of the seven were expelled while the others received lesser sanctions that included suspensions, workshops and essays.” Giuffra also said that none of the accused had been arrested.

Those statements, however, describe the plaintiff's and her attorney's account of Cornell's disciplinary response and do not establish that essay writing was the only punishment imposed on the accused.

Cornell pushes back

Cornell has pushed back strongly against the characterization that the accused were effectively let off with essays.

In a Sept. 28 statement, Cornell Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball said “None of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement.”

He also confirmed that the university's process resulted in expulsions and suspensions, although Cornell did not say how many students received each sanction.

Cornell said its Office of Institutional Equity and Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards conducted an investigation lasting several months. The matter then went before a hearing panel of trained faculty and staff, which heard evidence over multiple days. The university has cited federal privacy requirements for its refusal to publicly disclose individual students' disciplinary records.

Cornell says the university's Xi chapter of Chi Phi was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus. The university has also said it supports the district attorney's decision to reopen the criminal investigation.

Why prosecutors are reopening the case

It is important to note that there is now an ongoing criminal investigation running parallel to the disciplinary case. According to Matt Van Houten, the Tompkins County District Attorney, his office will be reopening the investigation in 2024 and presenting it before a grand jury.

Houten argued that Doe’s 2026 case is "dramatically different" from those in her sworn statement in November 2024.

"Jane Doe's sworn statement in November of 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped. On the contrary, Jane Doe's statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual," reported BBC citing Houten.

Doe's attorney disputes that account and has criticized authorities for not conducting further interviews with her or developing the case after her initial report.

The reopened investigation does not mean criminal charges have been filed or that the allegations have been proven.