NY Prosecutors Reopen Investigation Into Alleged Cornell University Frat House Gang Rape

New York state prosecutors have announced the reopening of a criminal investigation into the alleged rape of a woman at Cornell University in 2024. The move follows a civil lawsuit filed on September 16 by the victim, who accused the Ivy League institution of failing to protect her and adequately punish those involved.

The case centers on an incident on the night of October 19, 2024, involving seven male members of the Chi Phi fraternity chapter, known as the “Cornell Seven.” The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, alleged she was drugged and raped at the fraternity house while she was a 20-year-old undergraduate.

In her 101-page civil complaint, Doe claims she left her sorority sisters after drinking, stumbled alone to the Chi Phi house in Ithaca, New York, intending to see a male friend. She alleges that the men assaulted her for hours in an incident involving alcohol and ketamine. The lawsuit cites images purportedly from a fraternity group chat where members discussed the potential for a sexual encounter with Doe using vulgar language.

Doe’s attorney stated that his client was “traumatised, numb and unable to function” in the days following the assault. She reported the incident to Cornell University Police on November 8, 2024. Public outrage intensified when Doe alleged in the lawsuit that some men were allowed to mitigate their disciplinary conduct by submitting essays, though two individuals were reportedly expelled.

The identities of the defendants were published on September 21 by the editorial board of the university newspaper in an article titled “Cornell Won’t, We Will,” which sparked significant social media backlash.

Cornell University has disputed the claim that it failed to punish the alleged perpetrators. A university spokesperson stated that a panel of trained faculty and staff issued a range of sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions. While acknowledging that writing an essay was part of the consequences for some, the university insisted that no individual was offered essay-writing as the sole penalty. The Xi Chapter of Chi Phi was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten confirmed that his office would reopen the criminal inquiry to present the case to a grand jury. He noted that the initial decision not to charge was based on evidence available at the time, which he described as different from the allegations in the civil lawsuit.

Van Houten pointed out that Doe’s sworn statement to police in November 2024 did not allege she was drugged against her will or gang-raped; instead, it described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary and consensual. However, CBS News New York reported obtaining transcripts of interviews beginning November 14, in which Doe told police she was “pretty OK” with the initial encounter but later stated with “100% confidence” that she was raped. Van Houten told the outlet he had not seen these full transcripts prior to the decision to reopen the case.