Five days after a former Cornell University student filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court claiming that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, the Ivy league university has issued a statement and insisted they did their due diligence when the allegations were first brought to light.
“Cornell University supports the decision of the Tompkins County District Attorney (DA) to provide an opportunity for the victim’s story in the 2024 Chi Phi fraternity sexual assault case to be heard by a criminal grand jury,” Kyle Kimball, the Vice President for University Relations, said in a statement on Mondsay, September 28.
Kimball said that the university previously “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,” he said. “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.”
Additionally, the Chi Phi fraternity was immediately suspended after the victim came forward about the incident in November 2024 and is still barred from the campus.
“Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false. 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,” the statement concluded.
The victim filed the lawsuit under the alias Jane Doe on September 16, and she claimed the assault took place at the frat house in Ithaca, New York, when she was 20, according to WBNG.
Doe said she felt intoxicated after drinking at her sorority and a nightclub on the night of October 19, 2014. She then went to the frat house to visit a friend, where she was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted by two of the fraternity brothers.
She then claimed that she was sexually assaulted several times by multiple members of the fraternity until the early morning hours of the next day. Per the lawsuit, around 1:42 a.m., one of the men allegedly sent a message to the fraternity’s Snapchat group chat stating there was “free p****” upstairs.
Doe reported the sexual abuse three weeks later, and she dropped out of the school following the incident. After she went to the police, her attorney claimed that only two of the seven fraternity brothers that allegedly assaulted her were expelled from Cornell. The lawsuit claimed that the other alleged assailants were hit with less severe punishments, including submitting essays and attending workshops.
Her lawyer also insisted that no arrests were made.
Attorney Jeremy Saland, who represents one of the alleged attackers, denied any wrongdoing on their behalf, according to TMZ.
The story has made national headlines and caught the attention of many people, including Florence Pugh. The Little Women actress, 30, penned a powerful statement about the incident, which she said was “horrifying.”
“After reading about the young woman who was gang raped at her college by her friend and school peers, I’m feeling uneasy and sick and anxious,” she wrote via Instagram on Sunday, September 27. “I’m processing quietly and watching everything and everyone and every man.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
