Overview
- A woman using the pseudonym Jane Doe says seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity drugged and gang‑raped her during a seven‑hour incident in October 2024 and filed a civil complaint in September 2026 accusing the fraternity, seven former students and Cornell of negligence.
- Newly public interviews and records prompted Tompkins County prosecutors to reopen the criminal review and led Governor Kathy Hochul to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the state investigation.
- Cornell has suspended all parties and social events at Interfraternity Council houses for the rest of the academic year and said any house that violates the ban will face immediate emergency suspension.
- The university announced staffing changes to support survivors including more victim advocates, added Office of Civil Rights personnel, and said trauma‑informed New York State Police investigators will handle sexual‑assault reports.
- No criminal charges have been filed to date, protests and safety concerns for the plaintiff continue on campus, and the case has renewed national debate over Greek life, campus reporting and the gap between Title IX findings and criminal proof standards.