New York prosecutors reopen Cornell fraternity rape case two years on

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced Monday that his office will bring a 2024 Cornell University fraternity rape case before a grand jury, reversing a prior decision that the evidence did not meet the threshold for charges.

Jane Doe, the woman named in the civil lawsuit filed 16 September, alleges she was drugged with ketamine and raped by seven members of Cornell's Chi Phi chapter on the night of 19 October 2024. Her November 2024 sworn statement to Cornell University Police did not allege drugging or gang rape, Van Houten noted — a discrepancy he flagged alongside his decision to proceed.

Snapchat messages from a fraternity group chat, included in the civil suit, show members alerting each other to a potential sexual encounter with Jane Doe. Van Houten described the messages as "crude and vulgar" but said they did not bear on the consent question at issue.

Cornell said it had imposed consequential punishments for those involved and supports the grand jury process.