The Allegation
In October 2024, a 20 year old female student was drugged and gang raped for several hours by members of a fraternity (Chi Phi) at Cornell University. The student, choosing to remain unnamed, has filed a civil lawsuit. The case has ignited massive public outrage, leading New York state prosecutors to reopen the criminal investigation and prompting calls from Governor Kathy Hochul for an independent state-led review.
The Snapchat Messages
The lawsuit includes screenshots of a fraternity group chat on Snapchat where the victim was allegedly advertised to members as “free p*ssy” while being assaulted.
“Multiple frat members knew about it,” Thomas Giuffra, the attorney for Jane Doe, said. “Multiple frat members participated in it, multiple times. They plied her with ketamine.”
The Seven Named
The lawsuit names seven former fraternity members: Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar.
These allegations are civil claims, not criminal convictions, and several of the accused have publicly denied them. An attorney for Gillio Lopes told CBS News his client “unequivocally denies the allegations against him.” An attorney for Scott Kretzschmar has pointed to a hair follicle test showing no ketamine in his system as counter-evidence to the claim that he poured and snorted the drug.
Cornell’s Response
When the assault was reported to the university in November 2024, Cornell conducted an internal Title IX investigation. The fraternity chapter was permanently banned from campus, and some students involved faced suspensions or expulsions. However, no criminal charges were brought at the time.
Per The Week, only two of the seven named students were ultimately expelled; Cornell has not disclosed individual disciplinary outcomes for the others, citing federal student privacy law (FERPA). The lawsuit itself claims some accused students were allowed to “mitigate” their conduct by submitting essays to the university — a characterization Cornell has denied.
Why the Case Was Reopened
Following the severe public backlash and the filing of the civil suit, the District Attorney officially reopened the criminal investigation and announced that the evidence would be presented to a grand jury.
It’s worth noting the original 2024 investigation wasn’t simply inaction: the Tompkins County District Attorney’s office says it reviewed the initial police investigation at the time and found insufficient evidence to support criminal charges. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has also stated publicly that Jane Doe’s original sworn statement to police in November 2024 “did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped” — a characterization her attorney disputes, saying she was in what he called “self-preservation mode” at the time and that the original report is not materially different from the civil complaint.
References
CNN — Lawsuit details, reopening of investigation
CNN — What we know about the lawsuit
NPR — Independent probe, Hochul statement
CBS New York — Snapchat messages, DA statement
The Week — Only two of seven expelled
