Texts Show Defendant Apologized After Alleged Cornell Gang Rape
Newly surfaced messages reportedly reveal an apology from a defendant to the accuser, as a civil lawsuit alleges drugging and group sexual assault at a fraternity.
Newly publicized text messages reportedly exchanged between the accuser and a defendant in the Cornell University Chi Phi gang rape case reveal that the defendant apologized to her two days after the alleged sexual assaults.
According to text messages obtained by CBS News from a source, the former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe and one of the defendants texted each other after the incident at the Chi Phi fraternity house. The defendant allegedly texted Doe and apologized for “how things went down” and said his memory was “kinda fuzzy.” He added that he and another man felt bad for being too drunk to “shut it down and kick people out before it got way out of hand.”
The reported texts showed Doe responding that her memory was “super clouded too,” but “none of the sexual stuff was illegal.” Doe also wrote that she liked being with him and another man and later suggested that they smoke together again, “but like leave out the extra 5 billion men and ketamine.”
Thomas Giuffra, Doe’s attorney, confirmed to CBS News that Doe and the defendant had texted after the alleged sexual assaults, but he could not confirm that the texts CBS News obtained were the same ones. Giuffra also said Doe was in denial and traumatized after the incident, and wasn’t trying to be aggressive with the defendant so she could find out what happened.
On Sept. 16, Doe filed a lawsuit against the university and seven men. In the filing, she alleged that the men raped her in 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house after she was coerced into consuming drugs. Doe also alleged that once she arrived at the fraternity house, one of the defendants propositioned her to have a threesome with him and another defendant named in the lawsuit.
“In her drunken state, Plaintiff was incapable of consenting to this proposition,” the lawsuit stated, adding that she went upstairs with the two defendants and snorted ketamine. The two defendants then “began engaging in sexual acts with Plaintiff, all without her consent,” Doe alleged.
One of the men fell asleep, and a third defendant walked in and began kissing Doe, the lawsuit stated.
Around 1:42 a.m., one of the defendants sent a message to a group chat with other fraternity members saying that there was “free pussy” upstairs, messages included in the lawsuit showed.
“At this point, multiple other members of XI CHAPTER entered the room and Plaintiff retreated under the covers of the bed, to hide her naked body from the fraternity men,” the lawsuit stated. At one point, all seven defendants “began pouring lines of Ketamine all over her body and snorting them.”
The lawsuit has gained widespread attention. Celebrities, including actors Josh Gad and Florence Pugh, have been outspoken about their disgust, calling out the university for protecting the defendants and not Doe.
On Monday, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten confirmed that the case had been reopened and that his office was reviewing potential criminal charges.