A former Cornell University student alleges that, at age 20 in 2024, she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven members of the school’s Chi Phi fraternity in what she described as a gang rape.
ITHACA, N.Y. —
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten told ABC News that his office revisited the case after learning of a civil lawsuit filed by a former Cornell student. In that lawsuit, the woman says she was drugged, assaulted and raped by seven Chi Phi members when she was 20 in 2024.
The woman’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, outlined the allegations in a Sept. 22 statement, saying fraternity members used messages to summon additional people to the room where the alleged assault took place. The lawsuit names Cornell and a downtown Ithaca bar, located in the college town, as defendants.
“The complaint alleges that she was given alcohol and drugs inside, taken upstairs and sexually assaulted over a period of several hours by multiple men,” Giuffra wrote. He said one man sent a message to a fraternity group chat that brought others to the room. The more-than-100-page complaint includes a screenshot of the alleged message.
Van Houten said his office did not charge the fraternity members at the time, asserting that the account presented in the civil lawsuit differed from the woman’s 2024 police report. According to the district attorney, the report did not state that she had been drugged or that she had experienced nonconsensual sex.
Giuffra disputed that characterization, arguing that police did not adequately follow up with his client after her initial report.
“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 ABC News.
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Ithaca Mayor Lewis called for an immediate halt to student and special-event permits, including gatherings organized by Greek organizations and other student groups. The proposed moratorium would remain in place until Cornell reviews its procedures for preventing and prosecuting sexual violence and publicly adopts new safety standards.
The case also drew attention from British actor Florence Pugh, who told her more than 10 million social media followers over the weekend that the allegations left her feeling “uneasy and sick and anxious.”
“This is a human issue, not a women’s issue. We are all involved. Men especially,” Pugh wrote Sunday, Sept. 27. Addressing the woman identified as Jane Doe, she added: “Most importantly to Jane Doe who bravely stood up to the despicable college that chose to do the wrong thing, you are so unbelievably powerful. So strong willed. And know that women everywhere are here to hold you and help you on your healing journey.”
Pugh’s post received more than 1 million likes in fewer than 24 hours.
Cornell rejected claims that the students involved faced no meaningful discipline or only minor consequences. The university said a Title IX investigation resulted in a range of sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions. The Chi Phi chapter was also removed from campus following the alleged 2024 assault.
“Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” Kimball wrote. He said repeating the claim that the penalties were minimal was irresponsible, could make survivors feel less safe and supported, and might contribute to the underreporting of sexual assault.
Cornell also denied reports that students were required to write essays as their only punishment. Actor Josh Gad repeated that claim Sunday in a post to his more than 1 million followers.
“None of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement,” Kimball said.