Former Cornell Student Sues University for Alleged Gang Rape Case

By Aimee Li ’28

On September 14, Jane Doe, the pseudonym of a former student at Cornell University, filed a lawsuit for alleged gang rape that took place in the fraternity house in October 2024, claiming the school did not properly protect her and prevent the assault from happening. In addition to the university, Doe sued Chi Phi organizations, the seven Cornell students allegedly involved in the case, the former president of Chi Phi, and several other defendants for violating university policy and state law in their supposedly inadequate response to her initial report in 2024.

The students named in the lawsuit were all members of the Chi Phi fraternity: Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gilio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar. Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, reported that two out of the seven students were expelled, while the other five, according to CBS News, faced “lesser sanctions including suspensions, workshops, or essays.” Giuffra further told CBS, “Not one of these guys was arrested. Not one. That I can tell you for a fact.” Doe later left the university due to the incident without completing her studies.

The assault allegedly took place on October 19, 2024, when Doe, who was a 20-year-old junior at the time, was invited by a friend to the Chi Phi house while intoxicated. That night, she attended an event hosted by Moonies Bar & Nightclub at the Tri-Delta house. There, she was served alcohol despite being clearly intoxicated and marked as a minor. Around 11 p.m., Doe left Moonies alone and allegedly went to meet defendant Ingalls at Chi Phi National’s Xi chapter’s fraternity house, as per The Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell’s independent newsletter. There, she claimed to be coerced by Ingalls and Newell into consuming ketamine and marijuana while she was heavily intoxicated, resulting in impairment of Doe’s consciousness as they raped her.

A photo provided in the lawsuit further showed the chat history of a Snapchat group chat named “Chi Phi Actives” where defendant Newell allegedly sent a message saying there was “free p*ssy” upstairs. Afterwards, Doe recalled more men entering the room and repeatedly assaulting her for hours. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff stated her phone was not within reach and she “felt as if there was no way for her to escape this room full of predatory, fraternity men.” The assault allegedly lasted until 5:45 a.m., at which point the filing states Doe had lost consciousness. The lawsuit accused the students of their actions while being “fully aware” of her loss of consciousness and inability to consent.

Doe had sent a Crime Alert to Cornell’s police department on November 8, 2024, and her case was reported on in the Cornell newsletter later that day. In the article written by Benjamin Leynse ‘27 and published in The Sun, Leynse briefly covers the information provided in a Crime Alert sent earlier that day. In a statement to The Sun, Andrew Richmond ‘26, the Lambda Chi Alpha President, claimed: “We don’t have any knowledge of the situation.” After the initial report, temporary suspensions were issued to the seven defendants accused of assault and the Xi chapter of Chi Phi National for violating the Student Code of Conduct. The university later launched a Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault focused on preventing further sexual misconduct from taking place on campus. However, as per student surveys sent out in 2023 and 2025, the Task Force has yet to improve prevention of sexual misconduct on campus. Despite a full investigation launched by the Tompkins County District Attorney, the office concluded its review of the institution and the students due to “insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.”

According to The Sun, after the report was filed, the university offered defendants a chance to “mitigate their conduct” by writing essays, a solution which Doe believed was insufficient in responding to and investigating the case. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff sought a proper jury trial and monetary compensation for the psychological and emotional harm inflicted, though the exact value was not specified. Stated in Law Commentary, Doe claimed Cornell “should have known about sexual assault and drug risks associated with Greek life.” Doe additionally accused Moonies Bar & Nightclub, alleging that the bar violated New York state law and its contract with Tri-Delta when they served her alcohol despite Doe’s mark on her hand. A Moonies representative then responded with a statement saying “no alcohol was served to guests who had mark[s] on their hands.” The representative followed by declaring Doe’s claim as “completely inaccurate.”

On September 21, 2026, Cornell University released an official statement written by Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball acknowledging the lawsuit, recognizing the “deeply disturbing allegations” that were reported. In the statement, the university asserted, “Federal privacy law prohibits Cornell from disclosing specific information regarding individual students,” and that they are unable to share “any other disciplinary response.” The district attorney Matthew Van Houten shared with ABC News on Monday, September 28, that authorities have decided to reopen this case after Doe’s lawsuit. Authorities have not shared any additional information about the defendants, and the school’s legal response regarding the lawsuit and compensation remains ambiguous.

Without further comments from the institution, celebrities and social media figures have openly condemned the university for its lack of protection for the victim. According to TheWrap, Florence Pugh directly addressed the university in a statement shared on social media, “How can you expect us to trust that it’s ‘not all men’ when in moments like this, many of you stay quiet?” Josh Gad additionally commented on the lawsuit, stating, “When we start setting a precedent that our girls and women can be brutally raped, and the resulting disciplinary action is to hand out ESSAYS……we have lost our f**king minds.”