Authorities in central New York are taking another look at disturbing allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted a former student.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten told ABC News that prosecutors are weighing potential criminal charges after details outlined in a civil lawsuit drew widespread attention online.
The lawsuit, filed by a woman identified as Jane Doe, alleges that she was pressured to take drugs before being assaulted and raped by several men at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. The defendants named in the complaint are Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar.
According to the complaint, Newell later encouraged other fraternity members to participate, allegedly sending a Snapchat message referencing “free p—y” to a group called “Chi Phi Actives.” A screenshot of the alleged message was included with the lawsuit.
Van Houten said the account presented in the civil filing differs substantially from the statement the woman gave investigators after the alleged assault.
“It’s our intention to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe’s cooperation,” Van Houten told ABC News.
Prosecutors, he said, want to determine whether new evidence has emerged since November 2024 that could alter their earlier evaluation and support a finding of criminal conduct by the grand jury.
Thomas P. Giuffra, Jane Doe’s attorney, challenged the district attorney’s characterization of her statement. He also said investigators failed to conduct a follow-up interview with her, particularly through someone trained to work with survivors of sexual abuse.
“In my experience, speaking with an abuse survivor requires delicacy, understanding and specialized training. An average University Police officer would not have these skills. It would be the role of a specially trained detective or district attorney. However, Ms. Doe was never contacted by anybody with those skills,” Giuffra told the outlet.
Van Houten did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.