Cornell University rape case: What we know so far and what happened in 2024 involving the Chi Phi fraternity

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced on September 28 that his office had reopened the criminal investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving Cornell University students in 2024. He said that if appropriate charges are determined, the case will be presented to a grand jury.

A former Cornell student, identified anonymously as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit. As per the lawsuit she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven men at the Chi Phi fraternity house.

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The alleged incident took place on October 19, 2024, when Doe was 20 years old. She alleges that she was pressured to take ketamine and was too intoxicated to consent to sexual activity.

Doe also alleges that Cornell failed to take appropriate action against the men she accused. Cornell has disputed that claim and said it conducted its own investigation and imposed disciplinary sanctions.

According to court filings, the woman is identified as Jane Doe, while the seven men named as defendants have been referred to as the “Cornell Seven.”

A report by the USA Today states Doe's lawyer saying she came from a small town more than 1,000 miles from Cornell. She arrived at the university in August 2022 and later left Cornell after the alleged incident.

What does the woman allege?

According to the lawsuit, Doe went to the Chi Phi fraternity house on the night of October 19 after drinking earlier in the evening. She alleges that she was already heavily intoxicated when she arrived and was later pressured to take ketamine. The lawsuit alleges that seven men sexually assaulted her over several hours while she was unable to consent.

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The lawsuit names Cornell University, Chi Phi and seven individual men among the defendants. It also alleges violations of New York's Human Rights Law and other claims related to the university's response to the incident.

The lawsuit also includes screenshots of messages from a Chi Phi Snapchat group. The messages allegedly show fraternity members discussing a sexual encounter involving Doe.

Doe reported the incident to Cornell University Police on November 8, 2024, according to the lawsuit and subsequent reporting.

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The controversy intensified after Doe alleged in her lawsuit that some of the men were given opportunities to mitigate disciplinary consequences by submitting written assignments.

Her lawyer said two of the seven men were expelled. Cornell, however, said the students received a range of sanctions, including suspensions and expulsions, and said essays were not offered as the sole consequence for any individual.

The accused have been identified as follows: Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newel, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar.

What the fraternity messages allegedly revealed

Cornell University said campus police provided prosecutors with an image of a Snapchat group called “Chi Phi Actives” in November 2024.

According to the messages included in the lawsuit, members discussed a sexual encounter involving Jane Doe shortly before 2 a.m. on October 20, 2024.

CBS News New York also published excerpts of text messages reportedly exchanged between one of the defendants and a woman believed to be Doe two days after the alleged incident.

In the messages, the man appeared to apologize for “how things went down” and said his memory was unclear. The woman also said her memory was “super clouded” because they had all been intoxicated.

She later suggested meeting again but without “the extra five billion men and ketamine.”

Cornell's response to the allegations

Doe said she reported the alleged incident to Cornell University Police about two weeks after it occurred. Cornell said it suspended the Chi Phi chapter and several students and opened internal and Title IX investigations.

The university later disputed Doe's claim that it failed to discipline those involved. Cornell said a panel of trained faculty and staff reviewed the matter and imposed a range of sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions.

Cornell acknowledged that some students were required to write essays but said none were given the opportunity to use essays as their sole punishment.

Gov. Kathy Hochul later said Cornell's president had agreed to an independent outside investigation into the university's handling of the matter. Cornell confirmed the investigation.

The Chi Phi Xi Chapter was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus, according to Cornell.

Chi Phi's response

Chi Phi said it expelled the accused members of Cornell's chapter.

The fraternity's interim executive director, Trey Robb, said the chapter voted to remove the accused members shortly after Doe filed a police report and that the national fraternity later permanently expelled them.

Chi Phi said it would not comment further on matters under investigation or before the courts.

Why is the case being reopened?

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said on September 28 that his office had reopened the criminal investigation into the alleged assault. Van Houten said that once prosecutors determine the appropriate charges, the case will be presented to a grand jury.

In the US legal system, a grand jury reviews evidence presented by prosecutors and determines whether there is sufficient basis to issue an indictment. It does not determine whether a person is guilty.

Van Houten said his office did not bring criminal charges in 2024 because Doe's sworn statement at the time did not meet the legal basis for prosecution. He said her 2024 statement described her participation in drug use and sexual activity as voluntary, conscious and consensual.

Doe's lawyer disputes that characterization and has argued that authorities had additional evidence that should have been considered. A recently reported police interview also contained statements from Doe saying she had been raped, while Van Houten said that material was not included in the sworn statement his office previously received.