Cornell Plaintiff Drops Case Against Man She Misidentified as Fraternity President

A Cornell University student, identified as Jane Doe, has dropped her civil lawsuit against Orazio Petito, a man she had mistakenly identified as the president of the Chi Phi fraternity during the period when she alleges she was gang-raped. Petito was not accused of sexual assault.

Doe filed a notice of discontinuance on Tuesday, removing Petito from her complaint. Her lawsuit, filed last month, accused several Chi Phi brothers of sexually assaulting or exploiting her on October 19, 2024. The named defendants, including Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar, have denied the allegations, stating their interactions were consensual or that they were not involved.

Petito's attorney, Eric Bernstein, confirmed the dismissal, stating that the case against his client was dropped because Petito was not serving as president of the Xi Chapter of Chi Phi at the time of the alleged incident. The identity of the actual fraternity president at that time remains unclear.

'We're pleased with the dismissal of the case against my client, and justice was served,' Bernstein told Newsday. Doe also accused Cornell University of mishandling her complaints.

A criminal investigation into the alleged assault by Cornell's police department was previously halted after the local district attorney determined that no crime had occurred.