A 2024 alleged sexual assault at Cornell University has returned to the spotlight after a former student filed a civil lawsuit accusing seven Chi Phi fraternity members of drugging and sexually assaulting her. The case has now been reopened by prosecutors in New York, while celebrities including Florence Pugh and Josh Gad have publicly reacted to the allegations.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and the seven men named in the lawsuit have the right to defend themselves. She alleges that fraternity members pressured her to consume a substance they described as ketamine before she was sexually assaulted. No criminal charges were brought at the time. An attorney for defendant Scott Kretzschmar denied the allegations, saying the alleged incident “did not happen. Scott Norris also denied participating in sexual activity or drug use, while acknowledging that he sent a message included in the lawsuit.
2026, the woman, identified as Jane Doe, was 20 and a Cornell student when the alleged incident took place on October 19, 2024, according to a civil complaint filed in New York on September 14. The woman reported the incident to Cornell University Police in November 2024, according to the lawsuit. The reopening of the criminal investigation means prosecutors will now reassess evidence surrounding the 2024 incident, while the civil lawsuit against Cornell, the fraternity organizations and the seven named defendants continues separately.
The lawsuit says she had been drinking during a night out in Ithaca before going to the Chi Phi fraternity house.
Why has the Cornell case been reopened?
Van Houten told ABC News that his office intends to present the case to a grand jury with Jane Doe’s cooperation and determine whether additional evidence has emerged that could change the earlier assessment of the case. He also said the allegations in the civil lawsuit are “dramatically different” from the woman’s original statement to police.
