Cornell Witnesses Question Accuser's State of Intoxication in Gang Rape Lawsuit

Two witnesses who were present at a Cornell University fraternity party in October 2024 have stated that the accuser in a subsequent civil lawsuit did not appear intoxicated or distressed on the night of the alleged gang rape.

Transcripts of interviews obtained by TMZ reveal that a man who was DJing at the Chi Phi fraternity house party, and his girlfriend who was also in attendance, provided accounts that challenge the accuser's claims. The accuser, identified as Jane Doe, alleges she was coerced into taking drugs and sexually assaulted by seven members of the now-defunct fraternity.

The DJ, who lived in the room where the alleged assault took place, told investigators that Jane Doe did not appear drunk. His girlfriend, the first female eyewitness to come forward regarding the incident, stated that Doe did not seem distressed in the immediate aftermath.

According to the DJ's interview with police in November 2024, he entered his room to find one of the accused men, Jonathan Newell, vomiting while Jane Doe assisted him. The DJ reported that Doe repeatedly assured him Newell was fine and that she appeared eager for him to leave the room. Later, upon returning to the same room, the DJ observed multiple individuals present with Doe. He described her as not undressed and conversing clearly with others, estimating her intoxication level as one or two on a scale of ten and noting she spoke coherently.

Jane Doe's legal filing states the alleged sexual assault began around 11 p.m. and continued until approximately 5:45 a.m. the following day. However, text messages obtained by TMZ show Doe responding to her roommate at 3:05 a.m. with "idk" (I don't know) to a query about returning home. One of the accused men argues this message indicates Doe was capable of processing and responding to communication, contradicting her claims of being too inebriated to comprehend her surroundings.

In her statement to Cornell police, Jane Doe reported arriving at the fraternity house with an intoxication level of "about a five out of 10" after consuming alcohol. She alleged that an interaction with Matthew Ingalls and Jonathan Newell escalated when more fraternity members entered the room. Doe claims that by 1:42 a.m., Newell had posted in a fraternity Snapchat group that there was "free p***y" upstairs. Around 2:30 a.m., Ingalls reportedly responded to group chat inquiries by saying, "Boys, come whip it out."

Doe further alleged that men began snorting drugs off her body while she felt "extremely tired" and covered her face. The DJ's girlfriend recalled seeing four or five men in the room with Doe at one point and described the situation as not sounding like "something good" had happened.

Cornell University conducted a months-long investigation into Doe's allegations, holding at least 12 hearings between January and May 2025. The Tompkins County District Attorney's office ultimately declined to file criminal charges against any of the seven men named in the lawsuit, all of whom deny the allegations.

Despite the lack of criminal charges, Ingalls and Newell were expelled from Cornell. Two other students received suspensions and disciplinary probation, one graduated student was barred from campus, and two others were required to complete courses on sexual harassment, social media use, and bystander intervention, along with writing reflection papers. The two latter students stated they were only in the room for five minutes, a claim that contrasts with Doe's assertion about them snorting ketamine off her body.