Woman told Cornell police she was '100% confident' she was raped, transcript shows

A woman who is suing Cornell University, alleging she was sexually assaulted by seven men at a fraternity house, told campus police approximately three weeks after the incident that she was "100% confident" she had been raped, according to a transcript obtained by CBS News New York. The transcript was acquired amid renewed scrutiny of the Tompkins County District Attorney's decision not to prosecute anyone at the time of the initial investigation.

In recent days, District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has stated that the woman's initial account to police did not include allegations of being drugged or incapacitated to the point of being unable to consent. However, he has also announced that the investigation has been reopened based on new information presented in the woman's lawsuit, which was filed this month. The alleged assault occurred on Oct. 19, 2024, and the woman first approached Cornell's campus police about three weeks later. She provided further interviews on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15, 2024.

According to the transcript, she told a campus police officer, "Yes. It was coercion, yes." She also stated that she was "completely and totally incapacitated" before some of the sexual abuse occurred. The woman acknowledged consuming alcohol and drugs on the night of the incident at the Chi Phi fraternity house and reported having gaps in her memory. She indicated that while she was comfortable with an initial sexual encounter with two individuals, she did not consent to what happened later when other men entered the room. "And then, of course, I was being hit at the same time. Physically hit very, very hard," she told police, adding, "I can say with 100% confidence I was raped."

The woman, identified in the lawsuit by the pseudonym Jane Doe, filed a complaint on Sept. 16, asserting she was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house after being pressured to consume ketamine and marijuana and to drink alcohol. She claims she became completely incapacitated while fraternity members sexually assaulted her.

Van Houten told CBS News that he did not see the transcript of the woman's interview when his office decided not to bring charges, relying instead on a written statement signed by the accuser but drafted by a campus police officer. He has defended his office's previous decision not to conduct further investigation after the woman initially came forward in 2024, stating that they had all the collected information from her "very detailed, very comprehensive statement."

Cornell University first publicly acknowledged its investigation into the allegations on Nov. 8, 2024, the same day the woman reported the incident to police. The university issued an email alert to students warning of a reported sexual assault at a fraternity house and allegations of drug coercion. The Chi Phi fraternity was suspended by Cornell on the same day. In a late November 2024 statement to students, Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff described the allegations as "deeply disturbing."

Cornell has since stated that it supports the reopening of the criminal investigation. The university also indicated that its internal investigation resulted in disciplinary actions and expulsions for some students. The Chi Phi chapter remains barred from campus, but Cornell has declined to provide further details on individual student discipline, citing privacy regulations.