By Fazil Dawoodani
A controversy surrounding seven former Cornell University fraternity members has taken a new turn after the Tompkins County district attorney announced Monday that a criminal investigation into an alleged 2024 sexual assault at the university’s Chi Phi fraternity house is being reopened. The case stems from a civil lawsuit filed earlier this month by a former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, who alleges that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven Chi Phi members. Prosecutors now plan to present the case to a grand jury while Cornell faces questions about how it handled the allegations.
The incident allegedly occurred in October 2024 at the Chi Phi house in Ithaca. According to the lawsuit, the woman was already intoxicated when she arrived and was later pressured into consuming drugs. After, multiple fraternity members allegedly sexually assaulted her. Seven students are named as defendants in the lawsuit: Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the defendants have not been criminally charged.
The controversy intensified after the lawsuit raised questions about Cornell’s response. Cornell launched a Title IX investigation in January 2025, followed by disciplinary proceedings. The university says several students were expelled or otherwise disciplined and that the Chi Phi chapter was closed following the investigation. Cornell Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball said any suggestion that the university failed to impose “consequential punishments” was false.
However, the criminal investigation initially went in a different direction. The woman reported the incident to Cornell police in November 2024, but prosecutors did not bring charges at the time. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said her original statement to police differed significantly from the allegations contained in the 2026 civil lawsuit. He now says investigators will reconsider whether additional evidence has emerged that could change that assessment.
“We want to reexamine whether there’s additional evidence that we were not aware of in November of 2024,” Van Houten told ABC News, adding that his office intends to present the case to a grand jury with Jane Doe’s cooperation.
The reopening does not mean criminal charges have been filed or that the allegations have been proven. Instead, it means prosecutors are taking another look at the evidence and considering whether criminal conduct occurred.
The case has also renewed discussion about accountability within college fraternities and the responsibilities universities have when allegations of serious misconduct arise. Cornell has said it supports the reopened investigation, while the defendants are entitled to due process as the legal proceedings continue.