New York Prosecutors Reopen Cornell Fraternity Rape Investigation
An investigation into an alleged rape at a Cornell University fraternity house in 2024 has been reopened by state prosecutors following a civil lawsuit filed by the accuser.
New York state prosecutors have reopened an investigation into the alleged rape of a woman at Cornell University in 2024. The development comes after the woman filed a civil lawsuit against the university on September 16, alleging she was drugged and raped at a fraternity house on campus. She also claims Cornell failed to adequately protect her or punish those involved.
The men have been referred to as the "Cornell Seven," and the accuser is identified as Jane Doe in court documents. Cornell has stated it supports presenting the case to a grand jury while denying allegations that it failed to penalize the individuals.
Allegations in the Lawsuit
In a 101-page civil lawsuit, Jane Doe alleges that on the night of October 19, 2024, seven men from Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity chapter assaulted her for several hours. The lawsuit states the incident involved alcohol and the drug ketamine. At the time of the alleged assault, Doe was a 20-year-old undergraduate student.
Doe claims she was intoxicated and unable to consent during the incident. She states she left her sorority sisters after drinking and went alone to the Chi Phi fraternity house to see a male friend. The lawsuit includes charges of sexual assault and battery, negligence, breach of contract, and violations of New York's Human Rights Law against the university, the fraternity, and the men involved.
The legal filing contains an image purportedly from a fraternity group chat, which alerted members to the potential for a sexual encounter with Jane Doe using explicit language. Doe's lawyer has stated that two individuals involved were expelled. The university newspaper's editorial board published the names of the defendants on September 21, intensifying public outcry.
Fraternity Messages
Cornell University Police provided an image of a Snapchat group, titled "Chi Phi Actives," to prosecutors in November 2024 as evidence. The chat reportedly names the members and discusses a sexual encounter with Jane Doe using offensive language shortly before 2:00 AM on October 20, 2024. CBS News New York has also published excerpts of text messages allegedly exchanged between one of the defendants and the accuser two days after the incident. In these messages, one man appears to apologize for how events unfolded, citing intoxication for their inability to intervene before the situation escalated. The woman reportedly replied that her memory was also unclear due to intoxication, stating that the sexual activity was not illegal and that she enjoyed the company of two men.
Cornell University's Response
The woman reported the incident to Cornell University Police two weeks after it occurred. Shortly after, the university issued a statement acknowledging the "serious and deeply disturbing allegations of drug abuse and sexual violence at the Chi Phi fraternity house." Cornell stated that campus police were investigating and had suspended the local Chi Phi chapter, along with "a number of students." The university also initiated an internal investigation and a civil rights inquiry under Title IX.
Following the new lawsuit, Cornell disputed the claim that it failed to investigate or adequately punish the alleged perpetrators. The university asserted that the matter was reviewed by a "panel of trained faculty and staff" who imposed "a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell." Cornell acknowledged that some punishments involved writing an essay but clarified that writing an essay was not the sole consequence for any individual.
The Xi Chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus.
Reopening the Criminal Inquiry
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced on Monday that his office would reopen a criminal inquiry into the alleged rape. He stated that once charges are determined, the case will be presented to a grand jury. Van Houten noted that at the time of the assault two years prior, his office concluded that the evidence from the woman's statement to authorities did not meet the legal threshold for bringing charges.
He added that Doe's sworn statement in November 2024 "did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped." According to Van Houten, Doe's statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary and consensual. However, CBS News New York has reportedly obtained a transcript of Doe's interviews with campus police, in which she describes an initial sexual encounter as acceptable but later states with certainty, "I was raped."