Prosecutors reopen criminal investigation into alleged gang rape at Cornell after bombshell lawsuit

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Prosecutors in New York are reopening an investigation into an alleged gang rape of a former Cornell University student after a bombshell civil lawsuit filed earlier this month sparked widespread outrage over the university’s reported handling of the incident.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office is weighing whether to bring criminal charges related to the incident, but said the allegations in the civil complaint are “dramatically different” from the woman’s statement to police at the time.

“It’s our intention to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe’s cooperation,” Van Houten told ABC News, referencing the name being used to protect the anonymity of the former student. “We want to reexamine whether there’s additional evidence that we were not aware of in November of 2024, that exists now that would change our assessment of the case and would result in the grand jury finding that there was criminal conduct.”

The reopening of the case comes less than two weeks after the former student filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was drugged and gang raped in a brutal, hours-long attack by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell in October 2024.

At the time of the alleged assault, Jane Doe was 20 years old and a member of a sorority on campus, according to the 101-page complaint filed September 14 in New York County Supreme Court.

The lawsuit, obtained by The Independent, alleges that Doe was intoxicated and visiting a friend at the frat house when two male students pressured her into snorting a substance they claimed was ketamine.

After the initial sexual assault, one of the men sent a message in the fraternity’s Snapchat group stating that there was “free p****” and inviting additional members to join, the suit says. Multiple male students later arrived at the house, and Doe was subjected to an hours-long assault by seven of them, according to the complaint.

The filing details graphic abuse including men snorting lines of ketamine off her body, moving her between rooms, and continuing to rape and sexually assault her while she was incapacitated.

Doe reported the incident to the Cornell University Police Department three weeks later, and an internal Title IX investigation began in January 2025. However, Doe’s attorney Thomas Giuffra told The Independent that Cornell’s response was severely lacking.

“Her dreams were destroyed by a group of men who sought to abuse and humiliate her,” Giuffra said. “She was subjected to unspeakable horrors that I have not seen in my 30 years of handling abuse cases.”

Out of the seven male students named in the civil filing, two were expelled from the university, according to Doe’s legal team. The other students allegedly involved were said to have received lesser punishments, which reportedly included temporary suspensions, required workshops or essay-writing assignments.

Cornell’s Chi Phi chapter was banned from campus after the alleged incident, but none of the members allegedly involved faced criminal charges. Van Houten, the Tompkins County District Attorney, told ABC that his office did not bring charges in 2024 because the woman’s statement to police did not allege that she was drugged or that she didn’t consent to sexual activities.

“She never says that she was drugged without her knowledge. She admits to taking drugs and alcohol voluntarily and with knowledge. She does not allege that she was forced to engage in any acts. She does not say that she was physically helpless or unconscious or incapacitated at any point during the time at the fraternity house,” Van Houten said.

Doe’s lawyer said her complaint warranted an investigation, but the Cornell Police Department never called her back after her initial report.

“Based on the group chat evidence, it was obvious that the complaint warranted an investigation and criminal charges against the involved abusers,” he told The Independent. “Instead, Ms. Doe heard nothing.”

While speaking with ABC News, Van Houten acknowledged that his office was relying on the investigation by Cornell Police and didn’t “independently investigate” the allegations.

An attorney for Scott Kretzschmar, one of the men named in the lawsuit, told ABC News the incident did not happen.

Jeremy Saland said: "At bottom, Scott never sexually assaulted or even touched the plaintiff in any way. Period. We look forward to confronting the plaintiff in a court of law for her selfishly false claims with both the evidence and her own words.”

The Independent has contacted Saland Law for comment.

Scott Norris, another of the men named in the lawsuit, told ABC News through an attorney: "I did not participate in any sexual activity or drug use. I was not found responsible by Cornell for any of the accusations involving sexual activity and drug use for which others received serious consequences. I thoughtlessly engaged in Snapchat and briefly stopped in the room where misconduct happened but not when it happened."

In a statement last week, Cornell said it takes allegations of sexual violence “extremely seriously” and that its Office of Civil Rights and Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards “investigated and adjudicated the allegations consistent with university policies.”

In a statement Monday, Cornell’s Vice President for University Relations, Kyle Kimball, said the school supports the district attorney’s decision to reopen the investigation.

“Cornell also conducted a thorough Title IX investigation, which is separate from a criminal proceeding, over the course of several months. During that investigation, temporary suspensions and other restrictive measures were used. After investigation, and pursuant to federal law, the matter was sent to a hearing where a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over multiple days,” the statement read.

“The complainant and respondents had the opportunity to testify and present evidence. At its conclusion, the hearing panel issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell. None of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement.”

The university noted that the fraternity had been closed in 2024 and remained prohibited from campus since.

“Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” the statement added. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.”

For those affected by rape and sexual abuse, if you are in the United States, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673).

Rape Crisis also offers support.You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.