Ithaca, N.Y. – A former Cornell University student, identified only as Jane Doe, filed a detailed lawsuit this month alleging she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity on the night of October 19, 2024. The complaint, spanning 101 pages, accuses seven fraternity members, the fraternity itself, and Cornell University of negligence, breach of contract, sexual assault, battery, and violations of New York’s Human Rights Law.
Legal actions and district attorney response
The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that it is reopening the case and will seek a grand‑jury review after community pressure to revisit the decision not to file criminal charges. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten explained that the original 2024 police report differed significantly from the allegations in the new filing, noting that Doe’s initial statement did not mention being drugged or forced to have sex.
Van Houten said the office is bound by New York State penal law and that the text messages exchanged among the fraternity members, while “vulgar and disgusting,” did not directly relate to consent. He added that the messages were not part of the initial analysis because they were only recently provided to investigators.
Allegations in the lawsuit
According to the suit, Doe was 20 years old, had been drinking at her sorority house and a bar, and arrived at the fraternity house after consuming roughly ten standard drinks in three hours. The complaint alleges that a friend and another fraternity member offered her additional alcohol and pressured her to snort a substance described as ketamine. While she was allegedly “incapable of consent,” a Snapchat group message posted at 1:42 a.m. reportedly advertised “free p*ssy” upstairs, encouraging other members to join the assault.
The suit claims the assault continued for several hours, ending around 5:45 a.m., with multiple fraternity members allegedly pressuring Doe to take more ketamine. An attorney for one of the accused brothers denied any wrongdoing, stating his client never touched the plaintiff.
Cornell’s disciplinary response
Cornell University says it imposed a range of sanctions, including suspensions and expulsions, after a formal Title IX investigation. The university also closed the Chi Phi chapter and barred it from campus. However, the lawsuit contends the school failed to adequately discipline the accused and shielded them from law‑enforcement contact.
Doe’s attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, criticized the original investigation, saying the victim spoke only with the officer who took her initial complaint and was never interviewed by trained rape‑survivor investigators. He called the district attorney’s renewed consideration of prosecution “a step in the right direction, albeit a late one.”
Community reaction
The allegations have sparked intense discussion in Ithaca and across campus, with many residents and students demanding accountability and stronger protections for survivors. The Ithaca Police Department said it was “disturbed” to learn of the allegations, noting the incident was not reported to the department until recently through media coverage.
The case remains under investigation, and both the district attorney’s office and Cornell University have indicated they will continue to cooperate as the legal process moves forward.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
