Cornell DA Reopens Gang Rape Investigation After Fresh Lawsuit Alleges Drugging, Assault

A civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court has forced prosecutors in upstate New York to reopen a criminal investigation into allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted a student in October 2024. The Tompkins County District Attorney's office, which had declined to pursue charges after the victim's initial report to police nearly two years ago, now says it intends to present the case to a grand jury and examine whether evidence that has emerged since then changes the legal calculus.

The victim, identified in court filings only as Jane Doe, alleges that she was coerced into consuming ketamine at the Chi Phi fraternity house and then assaulted by multiple men over several hours, beginning around 1:42 a.m. and continuing until 5:45 that morning. According to the lawsuit, one of the accused fraternity members sent a message to a Snapchat group titled "Chi Phi Actives" using language that reduced her to a sexual object available for exploitation. The court filing includes a screenshot of this message as evidence of the defendants' intent and knowledge of what was occurring.

The allegations in the new lawsuit differ substantially from what the victim told police when she reported the assault about a week after it happened. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten acknowledged this discrepancy to ABC News, describing the civil complaint's allegations as "dramatically different" from her original statement. He indicated that his office wants to determine whether new evidence has come to light that would support criminal charges—evidence that was either unknown or unavailable in November 2024, when prosecutors initially decided not to pursue the case.

The victim's account in the lawsuit paints a picture of calculated predation. She claims that when she refused a sexual proposition involving two fraternity members, she was forced to consume ketamine for the first time in her life. Once she was incapacitated, the defendants allegedly began assaulting her without consent. As one man left the room, another entered to continue the abuse. The assault, according to her filing, lasted for hours.

The incident occurred roughly two years after the victim had left her family and moved across the country to attend Cornell. In her lawsuit, she describes arriving at the university with expectations shaped by what she characterizes as a misleading portrayal of Greek life on campus. The evening that led to the assault began innocuously—she was out with her sorority sisters—before she met up with one of the defendants at the fraternity house.

When the victim reported the assault to both campus and Ithaca police in late 2024, the university and the seven accused students were placed on temporary suspension. But no criminal charges were filed at that time. The reopening of the investigation suggests that either the victim has provided additional details, new witnesses have come forward, or other evidence has surfaced that prosecutors believe warrants a second look at whether criminal conduct occurred.

Van Houten told ABC News that his office intends to work with the victim as it prepares to present the case to the grand jury. The grand jury will be asked to determine whether the evidence—old and new—supports criminal charges against the fraternity members. The outcome remains uncertain, but the decision to reopen the investigation signals that prosecutors now believe the allegations merit serious reconsideration.