Cornell Accuser Drops Lawsuit Against Man Mistakenly Identified as Fraternity President

The accuser in the "Cornell 7" case, referred to as Jane Doe, has dropped a man from her civil lawsuit whom she had mistakenly identified as the president of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity. The fraternity is at the center of allegations that seven of its brothers sexually assaulted Doe at a party in October 2024.

Orazio Petito, who was named in the lawsuit Doe filed last month, was not accused of sexual assault. He was identified as the chapter’s president but has now been removed from the complaint through a notice of discontinuance filed Tuesday. The actual identity of the Chi Phi chapter president at the time of the alleged incident remains unclear.

"We’re pleased with the dismissal of the case against my client, and justice was served," Petito's attorney, Eric Bernstein, told Newsday.

This development comes as Doe has also voiced criticism of Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff's response to her alleged assault. In a letter dated Oct. 14 and obtained by The New York Times, Doe claimed that Kotlikoff spoke with her sorority president after she reported the incident in November 2024, allegedly asking, "Why did she wait so long to report it?" Doe described this as an "expression of doubt in the veracity of my story" and stated she felt "unsupported and disbelieved."

Kotlikoff acknowledged that the university mishandled aspects of the case during a faculty meeting, where he faced a no-confidence resolution debate. He described the issues raised by the "Cornell 7" case as "not easy" and suggested that his replacement would harm Cornell's reputation. He also indicated that the university would re-evaluate the safety of fraternity operations and potentially implement restrictions on Greek life.

Doe alleges that she was sexually assaulted or exploited by seven Chi Phi members—Matthew Ingalls, Scott Kretzschmar, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Jonathan Newell, Scott Norris, and Diego Sarabia—when she was a 20-year-old sophomore. All seven men have denied the allegations, with some asserting that interactions were consensual or that they were not involved.

No criminal charges have been filed against the fraternity brothers. The Chi Phi chapter at Cornell was shut down following the incident, and two members were expelled. A Cornell spokesperson stated that the university received legal correspondence from Doe's lawyer but contested her account of the school's initial response, asserting that Kotlikoff's question was directed at bystanders who had not used the university's tip line, not at Doe herself. Doe's attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.