A Cornell University student who handed police leads in an October 2024 sexual assault case now says she feels betrayed by the investigation’s handling. New York state officials have since intervened, launching an outside review as outrage over the fraternity-house allegations mounts.
Jane Doe Files Lawsuit After 2024 Incident at Chi Phi Fraternity
The case centers on an October 19, 2024, incident at the Chi Phi fraternity house on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York. A former student, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit on September 16, 2026. The complaint alleges that she was drugged, incapacitated, and sexually assaulted by multiple fraternity members over a period of seven hours.
According to the lawsuit, one of the fraternity brothers sent a Snapchat message inviting other members to join them while the woman was incapacitated inside the house. The filing names seven fraternity members as defendants, alongside Cornell University and the fraternity Chi Phi.
The seven Chi Phi members named in the lawsuit are Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar. In the days following the initial reports, the university suspended the accused students from membership three days after the woman reported the allegations, and the Chi Phi fraternity remains barred from campus.
Student Witness Details Police Interview and Snapchat Evidence
Another Cornell student who spoke with campus police in the wake of the incident described feeling betrayed by the department’s handling of the information she provided. The student decided to go to authorities after seeing screenshots of a group message on Snapchat that discussed the events of that evening.
That was, like, when I kind of internally made the decision. OK, like, I’m taking this all in, and then I’m going to the police tomorrow.
Cornell student witness, via NBC News
During an interview with campus investigators, the student walked officers through screenshots of the group message, which mentioned that there was free p—-
in a room at the fraternity house. She also provided secondhand information about drug use at Chi Phi, including where ketamine was allegedly kept, but later felt that her contributions were treated as insufficient.
Text Messages and Phone Calls Reveal Post-Incident Scramble
Records reviewed by media organizations show that some of the accused fraternity members engaged in damage control in the weeks following the assault. Audio recordings obtained by ABC News capture a November 7, 2024, phone call between Jane Doe and one of the accused men, Matthew Ingalls, in which she stated that she was 10 shots deep upon arriving at the house and struggled to recall events.
The only way for me to heal is to know what happened,
she told him during the call. Text messages from a small group chat indicated that fraternity members debated how to respond and whether to contact the victim before she officially reported the assault to Cornell University police on November 8, 2024.
During the recorded conversation, Jane Doe told Ingalls, If I wanted to take this somewhere, what y’all did would be classified as gang rape.
In response, the fraternity member suggested that their memories of what transpired might not be accurate, telling her it was possible that neither of them remembered correctly.
Governor Hochul Calls for Review of Cornell Police Response
The handling of the case by local authorities and Cornell police has drawn sharp criticism from state leaders. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to bring criminal charges. However, after renewed scrutiny, New York Governor Kathy Hochul called for a transparent, independent review of the university’s response.
Governor Hochul stated that she was deeply disturbed by how Cornell police conducted the original investigation. Public figures and lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also spoke out about the allegations, while attorney Thomas Giuffra reported that his client Jane Doe had received multiple threats and attempts to track her down.
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff released a statement acknowledging that the incident raises heartbreaking and troubling issues regarding sexual assault and party culture. The university announced that an outside law firm will review its handling of the matter. Meanwhile, student demonstrations have taken shape on campus, where the administration building was recently marked with graffiti and a glass door was broken ahead of a planned Justice for Survivors
protest.