Cornell 7 Case Explained: Everything You Need to Know

A woman filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell University and seven Chi Phi fraternity members — known online as the Cornell 7 — alleging she was gang-raped at the university fraternity house in 2024.

The plaintiff, identified as jane doe In the documents, an Ivy League university, several Chi Phi fraternity organizations, seven current and former students, a sorority organization, a former fraternity chapter president, a local bar and several unnamed individuals are named as defendants. Cornell is 7 Matthew Ingalls, jonathan newell, winston lee, Gilio Lopez, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris And Scott Kretzschmar.

The lawsuit was filed nearly two years after Cornell first informed its community about the alleged incident on November 8, 2024.

Here’s everything you need to know so far about the Cornell 7 case.

In the lawsuit, Doe claims the alleged drugging and sexual assault occurred on the night of October 19, 2024, when the former Cornell University student consumed alcohol at the Tri-Delta House and attended a magic show at Mooney’s Bar & Nightclub.

Doe alleged that she went to another bar to meet a friend before arriving at the Chi Phi fraternity house around 11 p.m.

“When Plaintiff arrived at the Chapter Eleven fraternity house, Plaintiff was clearly intoxicated as he had consumed approximately 10 standard drinks within the previous 3 hours,” the complaint states.

According to Doe, several fraternity members forced him to consume ketamine, marijuana, and alcohol before sexually assaulting him.

The complaint further alleges that a member of the fraternity sent an sexually explicit Snapchat message around 1:42 a.m. on October 20, encouraging others to enter the room. The attack reportedly continued until about 5:45 p.m., after which Doe lost consciousness and regained consciousness later that day.

Upon returning to her sorority house, she noticed bruises on her body and took medication to prevent a urinary tract infection. Although in the beginning did not describe the incident As in R— or sexual assault, one roommate recalled that she was shocked and unaware of what had happened. The lawsuit further alleges that details of the incident began to circulate among students later that day.

deer reported incident to Cornell University Police on November 8, 2024.

“Several friends made it clear to me that Chi Phi members were bragging about doing ‘etsam’ with me,” Do told university police. “Now it was clear that everyone knew it had happened to me.”

After reporting the assault, Doe left Cornell, with her attorney stating, Thomas GiuffraWhich is called his “dream school”. She initially relocated to New York City, where she underwent psychotherapy, before returning to her parents’ home.

“She is recovering, but her condition is not good,” Said Giuffra. “He lost his Ivy League career, and he has to deal with these injuries. [But] She has spoken about working with other victims, to let them know they are not alone and to be able to offer help, support and guidance. . . . “I think that justice for my client looks like change.”

There was a civil suit against the Cornell 7. Filed in New York County On September 16, almost two years after the alleged sexual assault. After two days, The Cornell Daily Sun The trial was reported on, bringing the case into the national spotlight.

In response to the lawsuit, Cornell’s Vice President of University Relations kyle kimball issued a statement The Cornell Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards confirmed “the allegations were investigated and adjudicated consistent with University policies.”

“The Xi Chapter of Chi Phi fraternity has been banned from our campus,” the statement added. “Federal privacy laws prevent Cornell from disclosing specific information regarding individual students and therefore we are unable to make a public statement on any further disciplinary response. Violations of University policies may result in sanctions up to suspension or expulsion. We will respond in detail through the legal process.”

according to the new York TimesCornell suspended the Chi Phi fraternity chapter in November 2024 before permanently closing it later that year.

Disciplinary records obtained by the news outlet revealed that two students were expelled, two others were suspended and a former student was banned from campus. The remaining two students received no-contact orders.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten in the beginning announced On September 27 he was resuming the investigation into the Cornell 7 sexual assault allegations to determine whether new evidence could support criminal charges.

“It is our intention to present this case to the Tompkins County Grand Jury with Jane Doe’s cooperation,” Van Houten said. ABC News. “We want to re-examine whether there is additional evidence that we did not know about in November 2024 that now exists that would change our assessment of the case and cause the grand jury to conclude that there was criminal conduct.”

Governor of New York on October 1 Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General letitia james As Special Prosecutor through Executive Order No. 64, transfer responsibility From Van Houten to James to investigate. This decision came after Hochul said “Lost faith” In Van Houten’s ability to handle the investigation.

“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be investigated and justice will be sought,” the Attorney General said. Said.

In addition to conducting a Title IX investigation, Cornell announced its retained a team From King & Spalding, led by Justice Department veterans Sally YatesTo examine the University’s policies, practices, and resources across the full range of prevention and response, including how reports are received and investigated;

“Sally Yates brings extraordinary experience, independence and judgment to this job,” Anne Meinig SmallingThe chairman of the special committee said in a statement. “The questions raised in the Jane Doe case demand rigorous scrutiny of Cornell’s response to that case, but our responsibility is broad. We have asked Ms. Yates and her team to examine Cornell’s holistic approach to preventing and responding to sexual misconduct, identify where we are doing well and where we can do better, and recommend changes that will help make our community safer.”

On October 13, Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff Additional campus security measures announcedThat includes a ban on parties and social events at Interfraternity Council fraternity houses for the remainder of the 2026-2027 academic year.

“These are the first steps toward systemic change on our campus. We will take all necessary steps to address the conditions that led to what Jane Doe and other survivors experienced. Cornell must be a place where safety is not an open question. I am committed to doing that work and getting it done. However, we must all work together to build a Cornell culture of community, trust, and respect,” the president wrote in a letter addressed to the Cornell community.

Demands for accountability intensified on October 5, when hundreds of Cornell University students, faculty, and community members gathered on campus to protest the administration’s handling of the Cornell 7 sexual assault allegations.

On the same day, Faculty Senate members introduced a resolution Call for a vote of no confidence in the university’s leadership. Kotlikoff and Provost Kavita Bala He was expected to address the Faculty Senate on October 14, before another meeting on October 28.