A Cornell University student accused of being raped by seven fraternity members in 2024 is facing online harassment, with her lawyer alleging she was incapable of consent
due to intoxication, while the state prosecutor has reopened the case amid public pressure.
Jane Doe, a 20-year-old Cornell University student at the time, alleges she was drugged and assaulted by seven men at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. Her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, stated she was completely, grossly intoxicated
and incapable of consent
when the incident occurred, according to a Yahoo News report. The case has reignited scrutiny over Cornell’s handling of sexual violence, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointing Attorney General Letitia James to oversee the criminal investigation after expressing lost faith in the county prosecutor’s ability to handle the case.
Allegations and the Initial Investigation
Cornell campus police initially received her report but did not pursue criminal charges, with Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten stating the accuser’s sworn statement did not accuse the male students of rape.
However, the case gained national attention after Doe’s civil lawsuit and newly released investigation records prompted Van Houten to reopen the probe. The DA’s office will now present evidence to a grand jury, though no criminal charges have been filed.
The Tompkins County district attorney announced the investigation’s reopening on Monday, as noted by ici.radio-canada.ca, with Van Houten stating, Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence.
University Response and Legal Proceedings
Cornell University denied claims that it failed to impose consequential punishments
on the accused, with vice-president for university relations Kyle Kimball stating, Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false.
The university said it closed the on-campus Chi Phi chapter in 2024 and disciplined four of the men, including two expulsions and two suspensions. However, Doe’s lawsuit alleges the fraternity members faced only temporary suspensions
and were allowed to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays.
The Title IX investigation, launched in January 2025, included hundreds of interviews and found Doe described feeling “like baitas the attackers
were like lions around me. She also said,
I was a sex doll for all intents and purposes,” according to Nypost. The Chi Phi fraternity house was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus, per globalnews.ca.
The lawsuit also includes a photo of a group chat between fraternity members discussing the night’s events, as reported by Lone Pine Press. The national chapter of Chi Phi did not respond to requests for comment. Cornell stated it conducted an internal disciplinary investigation in 2024, but the lawsuit claims the seven men were given the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to Cornell, which the university denied, noting the expulsions and suspensions.
Online Harassment and Public Outcry
The Tompkins County district attorney’s office confirmed it had not been contacted by Doe’s lawyer about her statement or reconsidering the decision not to prosecute, but it reached out to the lawyer recently. Van Houten emphasized the case would be prosecuted in the most objective and impartial means available—by testimony to the Tompkins County grand jury.
The DA’s office also noted that the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York, was the site of the alleged incident on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, as reported by globalnews.ca.