Marine Mistakenly Served Cornell Gang Rape Lawsuit, Family Receives Death Threats
An active-duty Marine Corps sergeant with the same name as a defendant in the 'Cornell 7' lawsuit has become the target of an online mob, with his family receiving death threats after his address was mistakenly made public.
An active-duty US Marine Corps sergeant who shares the same name as one of the individuals accused in the "Cornell 7" lawsuit has been subjected to an online harassment campaign, resulting in his family receiving death threats. The 23-year-old Marine, Matthew Ingalls, was mistakenly served with the lawsuit alleging gang rape by seven fraternity brothers at Cornell University. This error led to his address becoming public, drawing the attention of online vigilantes.
The lawsuit, filed on September 18, prompted online sleuths to publish Ingalls' personal details, including his address and his relatives' phone numbers. Ingalls has no affiliation with Cornell University or the case itself, aside from sharing the name of one of the seven accused.
His mother, Victoria Ingalls, told The Free Press that her family has been "terrorized, threatened and harassed." She expressed dismay at the public's behavior, noting that individuals are looking up phone numbers online to send abusive messages without verifying the correct person. "You don't even know if you have the right person. You're creating more victims," she stated.
One particularly chilling incident involved Ingalls' sister, who received a Google Earth image of her brother's house along with violent text messages, including one that said, "Do the world a favor and go kill yourself."
Victoria Ingalls recounted her initial fear when she was served with the lawsuit, believing a stranger at her door might be delivering news of her son's death. While she acknowledges the public's anger surrounding the alleged rape, which occurred in October 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house, she urged online vigilantes to exercise more caution. "You can't just lash out at random at somebody because they have the same name," she said.
Her son, stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, is protected by military security. However, Victoria Ingalls expressed fear for her own safety and that of her children, stating, "I don't even know how I feel anymore. I'm so overwhelmed. I'm mostly scared for my kids."
Lawyers for the accuser have stated they are working with the court and the process server to rectify the mistake. The formal court documents have since been updated to reflect a different address for Matthew Ingalls.