New York prosecutors have announced that they are reopening an investigation into an alleged rape case from 2024 that involved Cornell University students. The case involves an alleged victim, referred to as Jane Doe, who filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York this month. In the lawsuit, she claims multiple men drugged and brutally raped her for more than four hours at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced that efforts are underway to reexamine the case. He stated that his office will determine appropriate charges and present the case to a grand jury. Van Houten assigned a senior prosecutor with experience in sex crimes to start preparations. This decision comes after Doe's lawsuit claimed that she was drugged and gang-raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity.
Cornell University issued a statement following the news that prosecutors are taking another look at the case. The university said it supports the decision but defended how university officials handled the case two years ago. According to Kyle Kimball, vice president for university relations at Cornell, the school conducted a thorough Title IX investigation that lasted several months. The investigation resulted in expulsions and suspensions, although the university did not specify which individuals faced those consequences.
The Xi chapter of Chi Phi fraternity, of which the alleged rapists were members, was banned from the campus two years ago. Doe is suing the seven alleged rapists, the fraternity, Cornell University, her sorority, and the nightclub that served her alcohol as a minor the night of the alleged attack. Her lawsuit includes distressing details of the alleged attack, including a Snapchat conversation between members of Chi Phi that appeared to invite other students to assault the alleged victim that night.
According to Doe's lawsuit, she enrolled at Cornell as an undergraduate student in 2022 and joined the Delta Delta Delta sorority chapter. The lawsuit claims that the university actively promoted Greek membership as a vital part of the campus community. On the night of the alleged attack, Doe attended a social event hosted by her sorority at a bar called Moonies, where she was able to drink despite being under 21.
The lawsuit alleges that the fraternity brothers forced marijuana and more alcohol on Doe, and that she was pressured to snort ketamine with them. The lawsuit claims that Doe was assaulted by multiple members of the fraternity, who poured lines of ketamine all over her body and snorted them. She was assaulted again before passing out at 5:45 a.m. Van Houten stated that his office had never been contacted by Doe's attorneys prior to the lawsuit being filed.
The case has garnered significant attention, with many calling for answers as to why the case was not investigated further two years ago. Van Houten acknowledged the outrage, stating that his office received calls demanding answers, as well as insults and threats. The district attorney's office is now working to understand the discrepancy between Doe's original statement and the allegations in the civil lawsuit.
Key points
- Prosecutors are reopening an investigation into a 2024 rape case involving Cornell University students.
- The alleged victim, Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit claiming she was drugged and gang-raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity.
- Cornell University had previously conducted a Title IX investigation, resulting in expulsions and suspensions, but the university is now facing scrutiny over its handling of the case.
