Tompkins County DA reopens investigation into alleged Cornell fraternity assault
The district attorney's office is reviewing a civil lawsuit accusing seven Cornell fraternity members of drugging and raping a former student, and is considering presenting the case to a grand jury.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced that his office is reopening the investigation into a civil lawsuit that alleges seven members of Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity drugged and sexually assaulted a former student in 2024. The lawsuit, filed by the survivor identified as Jane Doe, claims the men coerced her into taking drugs and engaged in non-consensual sexual activity at the fraternity house.
Van Houten told ABC News that the allegations in the civil complaint differ from the survivor’s earlier statement and that the office will seek her cooperation in presenting the case to a grand jury. He said the district attorney’s office relied on the Cornell University police investigation and has not conducted an independent inquiry. The prosecutor also noted that a group-chat screenshot cited in the lawsuit was not provided to his office.
Jane Doe’s attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, said the group-chat was a critical piece of evidence submitted to authorities two years ago and that the survivor was never interviewed by a specialist trained in handling sexual-assault cases. He criticized both the university police and the district attorney’s office for the lack of follow-up.
Cornell University responded that it investigated the allegations according to its policies and that the Chi Phi chapter remains banned from campus. The university’s vice president for university relations, Kyle Kimball, said the institution takes sexual violence seriously and referenced a presidential task-force report released in March 2026 that documented an increase in reported non-consensual sexual contact among undergraduate women.
The case has drawn public commentary, including remarks from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actress Florence Pugh, who criticized the university’s handling of sexual-assault allegations. A lawyer for one of the defendants, Scott Kretzschmar, described the lawsuit as dishonest and welcomed further investigation, asserting that his client did not participate in the alleged conduct.
The district attorney’s office has not indicated whether charges will be filed, and further details are expected as the investigation proceeds.