Key facts
- Prosecutors have reopened an investigation into an alleged gang-rape at Cornell University.
- The alleged victim claims she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity.
- The alleged assault occurred in October 2024, and the victim reported it to campus police three weeks later.
- The Tompkins County District Attorney's office is re-examining the case due to discrepancies between the victim's lawsuit and her initial police statement.
- Cornell University stated that the Xi chapter of Chi Phi fraternity remains barred from campus.
- The alleged victim's attorney stated none of the perpetrators were arrested.
Prosecutors in New York announced on Monday that they have reopened an investigation into an alleged gang-rape at Cornell University, following public outcry over the university's disciplinary actions. The alleged victim, identified as Jane Doe in a civil lawsuit filed earlier in September, claims she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024.
According to the lawsuit, the woman was already intoxicated when she went to the fraternity house and was allegedly given a drug she was told was ketamine. She claims the assault lasted for approximately seven hours, during which a message was sent to a fraternity Snapchat group stating there was "free pussy upstairs," and at least five additional fraternity members joined in. She reported the incident to campus police about three weeks later.
While two members of the Chi Phi fraternity were expelled, none of the seven named perpetrators were arrested, and others received lesser sanctions such as writing essays or attending workshops, according to the victim's lawyers. Thomas Giuffra, an attorney for the student, stated that "not one of these guys was arrested."
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office is re-examining the case because the allegations in the lawsuit are "dramatically different" from the statement the woman initially gave to police in November 2024. Van Houten noted that in her original police complaint, the woman admitted to voluntarily taking drugs and alcohol and did not allege she was physically helpless or unconscious. Giuffra countered that neither the district attorney nor university police followed up with his client with the necessary specialized training.
Cornell University, through its vice-president for university relations Kyle Kimball, issued a statement on September 21 calling the allegations "deeply disturbing." The university confirmed that the Xi chapter of Chi Phi fraternity remains barred from campus but stated that federal privacy law prevents disclosure of specific disciplinary actions for individual students. The statement added that violations could lead to sanctions up to and including suspension or expulsion.
Actor Florence Pugh recently posted a statement on Instagram in support of the alleged victim, calling for men to be "horrified and sickened" by the behavior and to lead conversations about changing the "allowance and complicity of this behaviour."