A former Cornell University student filed a 101-page lawsuit detailing allegations that she was drugged and gang raped inside the Chi Phi fraternity house on October 19, 2024. The renewed legal scrutiny prompted the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office to reopen its investigation into the incident, seeking a grand jury review after community members urged officials to reconsider filing criminal charges against seven fraternity members named in the complaint.
Tompkins County District Attorney Reopens Grand Jury Review
County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten stated that prosecutors initially filed no criminal charges because the accuser, identified as Jane Doe, did not provide police in 2024 with the specific allegations detailed in the new civil complaint. According to Van Houten, the initial report filed with university police contained no indication that the student was drugged without consent or subjected to non-consensual sexual activity, noting that her original statement indicated sexual conduct stopped whenever she asked. Doe’s attorney countered that the report provided to Cornell authorities at the time was not materially different from the claims in the subsequent lawsuit. Following intense public backlash regarding the handling of campus sexual assault allegations, the district attorney’s office announced on a Monday that it is revisiting the case for grand jury evaluation.
Detailed Allegations Outline Night at Chi Phi House
The lawsuit names more than a dozen defendants, including Cornell University, the Chi Phi fraternity, and seven individual fraternity members, alleging negligence, breach of contract, sexual assault and battery, and violations of New York’s Human Rights Law. Court documents state that Doe, who was 20 years old at the time, had consumed about 10 standard drinks over three hours at her sorority house and a bar before arriving at the Chi Phi house to visit a fraternity member who was a friend. The complaint alleges that two fraternity members pressured her into snorting ketamine and gave her more alcohol while she was incapable of consent. A third member allegedly entered the room and participated in the assault. At approximately 1:42 a.m., one of the accused men allegedly posted a message in the chapter’s Snapchat group chat titled “Chi Phi Actives” stating there was “free p*ssy” upstairs to encourage other members to join. Additional members entered the room, where the complaint alleges defendants poured ketamine onto her body and snorted it before five men left and two others moved her to a different room to continue the assault until approximately 5:45 a.m.
Legal Responses and Denials from Defense Counsel
Jeremy Saland, an attorney representing one of the fraternity brothers, stated that his client never sexually assaulted or touched the plaintiff and emphasized that the district attorney’s office initially filed no charges because the alleged events did not happen. An attorney for a different student acknowledged that his client participated in the Snapchat conversation mentioned in the filing but denied engaging in any sexual activity or drug use. That student stated through counsel that he was not found responsible by Cornell for any accusations involving sexual activity or drug use, admitting only that he thoughtlessly engaged on Snapchat and briefly stopped in the room when misconduct was not occurring. CNN sought comment from the Cornell University Police Department, the Chi Phi fraternity, and other named defendants as the legal and investigative proceedings continue.
