Key Points
A former Cornell student alleges seven Chi Phi members raped her in October 2024. No one has been criminally charged.
In her lawsuit, the survivor alleged that the seven fraternity members drugged her with Ketamine and then raped her.
Her attorney says Cornell went easy. He says only two of the seven were expelled, and others got lesser penalties like essays. Cornell hasn't confirmed this, citing privacy law.
A FORGOTTEN CASE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT in one of the most prominent private universities in New York had recently grabbed headlines again. A former student at Cornell University alleged that seven men belonging to the institution’s Chi Phi fraternity drugged and gang-raped her in October 2024. The woman, who has been designated the name “Jane Doe” to protect her identity, has sued the seven frat members, along with the university for failing to protect her from the assault. The lawsuit was filed on September 16, 2026 in the New York Supreme Court.
Following the incident, an internal committee of the university expelled two accused and barred the fraternity from the institution. No arrests were made in this case.
State Prosecutors in New York have reopened an investigation into this two-year-old rape case after Jane’s lawsuit and the allegations she made. As per media reports citing the lawsuit, the survivor was allegedly forced to take drugs before being sexually assaulted and raped by Winston Lee, Scott Kretzschmar, Scott Norris, Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Gillio Lopes, and Diego Sarabia at the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell University in 2024.
American news outlet CBS, citing the lawsuit, reported that the woman was 20 years old when the alleged assault occurred and was studying at her dream university in Ithaca. She had reportedly gone to Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house to visit a friend when the incident took place.
The lawsuit alleges that while the woman was intoxicated, two fraternity members pressured her into snorting what they claimed was ketamine before sexually assaulting her. It further alleges that several people began engaging in sexual acts (including both oral and vaginal intercourse) with Plaintiff, all without her consent. The lawsuit also states that while the survivor was unconscious, one of the men allegedly posted that there was “free p***y” in the fraternity's Snapchat group chat, titled Chi Phi Actives, implying that a woman was available for sex.
The complaint alleged that more men arrived after the message was posted and that the survivor was raped for several hours. A screenshot of the Snapchat exchange was reportedly submitted as part of the court filing.
According to the complaint, Jane reported the alleged assault to Cornell University's police department around three weeks after the incident happened, subsequent to which an internal inquiry was initiated. However, only two of the seven fraternity members accused in the case were expelled, while the others faced less severe disciplinary measures such as suspensions, attending workshops, and writing essays, revealed Jane’s attorney Thomas Giuffra.
The lawsuit alleged that Cornell “created an environment where sexual assault and rape of persons such as Plaintiff would be tolerated” and failed to “discipline or remove” the students. “Not one of these guys was arrested. Not one. That I can tell you for a fact. There were so many people that could have prevented it, and they didn't. I've never seen anything like it," Giuffra stated to CBS.
The woman reportedly left the university following the alleged assault.
In the lawsuit, she accused Cornell and the other defendants of breach of contract, negligence and violations of state law. She is seeking financial compensation, including compensatory and punitive damages, although the lawsuit does not specify the amount being sought.
“She's not in college anymore because of this. She's barely hanging on for what these guys did to her,” Giuffra said.
Replying to these allegations, Cornell University stated that its Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards investigated the matter in accordance with established rules and laws. The university said the Xi chapter of Chi Phi — the on-campus branch of the fraternity — was barred after the incident.
“Federal privacy law prohibits Cornell from disclosing specific information regarding individual students, and we therefore are unable to make a public statement on any other disciplinary response. Violations of university policies could lead to sanctions up to and including suspension or expulsion. We will respond in detail through the legal process,” read the university’s official statement posted on their website.
The university added that after this investigation, it launched a task force on sexual assaults and has already introduced changes to their policies regarding such cases.
Taking to social media, English actress Florence Pugh has weighed on this matter and posted a written statement. Pugh described the incident as a “horrible act” and expressed how uncomfortable and uneasy she felt reading about it. She urged men to speak up when such a thing happens and called for them to take up an active role in challening sexual violence.
“This is really the moment where we need our men to be as horrified and as sickened as us," the actor wrote. “They should lead conversations about how we change the allowance and complicity of this behaviour as much as we are,” the actress’s statement, posted on Instagram, read.
Pugh also questioned the silence surrounding such incidents and wrote, "How can you expect us to trust that it's 'not all men' when in moments like this, many of you stay quiet?” She further criticized what she termed as “inadequate consequences” for those involved in the alleged assault and for people who were aware about it. “We are not hard enough on those that want to damage human lives,” she wrote.
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
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