Cornell University has publicly addressed the alleged 2024 gang rape of a female student at the school’s Chi Phi fraternity house, with both the university president and a top administrator issuing statements after a former student filed a lawsuit over the incident.
The former student, identified in court filings as Jane Doe, filed legal documents on September 16, 2026, in New York Supreme Court, alleging she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity on October 19, 2024. The case has drawn national attention and prompted New York Governor Kathy Hochul to appoint state attorney general Letitia James as a special prosecutor to reinvestigate.
Here is a breakdown of what Cornell has said so far, including the university president’s comment that people are “angry” over the situation.
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff Calls Jane Doe’s Allegations ‘Heartbreaking’
Cornell University president Michael Kotlikoff broke his silence on the case in a video statement on October 3, 2026, calling the alleged assault “deeply disturbing.”
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“What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come,” Kotlikoff said. “My heart aches when I think of what she experienced.”
Kotlikoff acknowledged that the case “raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use.”
“It also raises questions around the investigation conducted after the allegations were reported,” he added.
The Cornell president said administrators do not “have all the answers” right now but pledged to pursue them.
“You have my commitment that this will not be a moment that passes. We will continue taking every step necessary to make Cornell an institution that leads not just in what we say about these issues, but in the work we do to address them,” he said.
Cornell’s Vice President for University Relations Defends Cornell’s Original Title IX Investigation
Days earlier, Cornell’s Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball issued a statement on September 28, 2026, pushing back against suggestions that the school handed down minimal consequences to the fraternity members allegedly involved.
“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,” Kimball said.
Kimball said 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.”
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The Chi Phi fraternity was immediately suspended after the victim came forward in November 2024 and remains 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.
Michael Kotlikoff Announces an Independent Review
Kotlikoff confirmed in his October 3, 2026, statement that Cornell has launched an “independent review by an outside law firm” to examine the school’s original response to Doe’s accusations. He also voiced support for Hochul’s appointment of James as a special prosecutor.
“We will not wait for the investigation or the review to be completed before we act,” Kotlikoff promised. “Where we see opportunities to strengthen prevention and education, student support, mental health and substance use resources, investigative processes or coordination among our university offices, we will act. The review should inform additional changes, not delay improvements already underway or ones we know we can make today.”
The Cornell president suggested that changes may need to be made to Greek life at the school to foster “individual accountability, transparency, and a culture in which every member understands their responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of others.”
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff Apologizes to Jane Doe
Kotlikoff reflected on the case while speaking to The New York Times on October 14, 2026.
“The fact that Jane Doe experienced what she experienced at Cornell is something that I am personally sorry for,” he said. “And I think this entire campus is sorry that occurred.”
Kotlikoff added that he and other school officials were not fully aware of her claims until she filed the lawsuit and reports from the university’s Title IX investigation were subsequently published.
“I do think it’s important to understand we have more information now than we had at that time,” Kotlikoff said. He then explained that he let the investigation be conducted independently so that he could respect the students’ privacy.
Kotlikoff admitted that he did not ask about the results of the initial investigation, but he said he should have been informed when the Tompkins County district attorney decided to not press charges against the fraternity brothers named in the case.
Also in the interview, Kotlikoff acknowledged that the university needs to regain the trust of its community. “People are angry. I understand that anger,” he said.
Jane Doe’s Allegations Against the Chi Phi Fraternity
The unidentified woman filed the lawsuit under the Jane Doe alias, alleging the assault took place at the frat house in Ithaca, New York, when she was 20. She said she felt intoxicated after drinking at her sorority and a nightclub on the night of October 19, 2024, then went to the frat house to visit a friend, where she was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted by two of the fraternity brothers.
Per the lawsuit, Doe was then sexually assaulted several times by multiple members of the fraternity until the early morning hours of the next day. 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.
She reported the abuse three weeks later and dropped out of school following the incident. Her attorney said only two of the seven fraternity brothers who allegedly assaulted her were expelled from Cornell, while the others received less severe punishments, including submitting essays and attending workshops. No arrests were made.
Attorneys representing the alleged attackers have denied any wrongdoing.
Jane Doe’s Attorney Reveals How She’s Coping
Doe’s attorney Thomas Giuffra gave NBC News a sobering update on how his client is handling the heightened scrutiny of the case.
“[Jane Doe is] not well,” he said. “This has upended her life in such a tragic way.”
Giuffra described Doe’s departure from Cornell as the shattering of a lifelong dream.
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“She comes from a small town. Her dream, from when she was a little girl, was to go to the Cornell [Nolan] Hotel School — this was her desire,” he said. “She worked very hard — she came from an area where people were not going to Ivy League schools. This was an area where people went local or they didn’t go to school at all. And this was her dream — she went there, she was betrayed by two friends. She went to withdraw, she couldn’t withdraw without costing her parents a lot of money. She had to stay there, and then ultimately she couldn’t take it anymore — and her mother was up there constantly — and she had to leave.”
Giuffra confirmed Doe has undergone “extensive mental health treatment” since the alleged abuse and has placed her education “on hold.”
“She’s hanging on by a string,” he said. “The one positive, I will say, is the amount of support she’s seen from members of the public has been really helpful and has really helped her through this process, and frankly it’s made me see how good human beings can be.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
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