According to the US Wall Street Journal, on September 28 local time, a prosecutor in New York State announced the restart of the criminal investigation into the alleged collective sexual assault by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell University in 2024. The case will be referred to a grand jury.
Earlier this month, a lawyer for a female student from Cornell University filed a civil lawsuit, accusing the university of failing to protect her.
In this civil lawsuit filed in the New York State Supreme Court, the victim stated that in October 2024, she was forcibly given ketamine—a drug primarily used as a medical anesthetic—at a Chi Phi fraternity chapter, and was subjected to collective sexual assault by seven members of the fraternity for several hours.
The defendants include Cornell University, relevant faculty and staff, the Chi Phi fraternity, and these seven alleged criminals.
The lawsuit documents contain a screenshot of messages from social media, allegedly conversations between members of the Chi Phi brotherhood where they encouraged each other to participate in rape.
According to the lawsuit documents, the details of her experience began to spread on campus the morning after the suspected rape case occurred. At the same time, the accuser went to the Cornell University Police Station.
The victims accused Cornell University of failing to impose appropriate penalties on the individuals involved after the incident. Additionally, they said that Cornell University covered up those individuals, prevented them from talking with law enforcement agencies, and silenced the victims.
The litigation documents state that Cornell's "behavior is so outrageous, shocking, despicable, and contemptible that it exceeds the reasonable decency that ordinary people can tolerate, and completely ignores the consequences that arise from such actions."
The Chi Phi Brotherhood Club of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York
New York State Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew VanHouten defended his initial decision not to file charges in November 2024, after announcing the resumption of the investigation. He said that at that time, the alleged perpetrator, using the pseudonym Jane Doe, first reported the situation to the Cornell University police. She initially described her drug use and sexual behavior as “voluntary”.
He also admitted that the screenshots of messages among these men were “completely vulgar and disgusting, but it had nothing to do with whether she agreed or not”.
"However, I now recognize the reality of this situation," he said when discussing his decision to restart the investigation. "Victims of sexual assault may need several years of treatment and psychological trauma recovery before they can fully digest and understand what happened to them."
This lawsuit, along with the lack of criminal charges and insufficient disciplinary actions, has caused a great deal of controversy.
According to CNN, New York State's Isaka Mayor Robert Cantelmo called on Cornell University to suspend activities involving fraternities and sororities, as well as student group gatherings, on the 28th. He stated that the suspension would remain in effect until the university reexamined its procedures for preventing and prosecuting violent crimes and publicly announced new standards and practices to ensure the safety of our community.
On the same day, Cornell University issued a statement supporting the decision of the district attorney to reinstate the criminal investigation. The statement mentioned that after months of investigation and several days of hearings, the university had expelled several students and ordered them to suspend their studies. Additionally, the involved fraternity chapter was disbanded in 2024, and its access to campus was prohibited.
CNN mentioned that the Cornell University case is the latest example of crime and misconduct within the fraternities and sororities community in American universities.
Previously, police in Pennsylvania have accused several fraternal organization members of operating a drug trafficking gang at Penn State University.
In Wisconsin, local police are investigating allegations of abuse against prospective members of a fraternity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Last week, 30 disheveled prospective brothers were found in a basement of the university, covered in food, seasonings, and other liquids.
