Jane Doe in Cornell 7 case alleges campus police knows she was sexually assaulted. DA claims they never got her statement: ‘failure to do anything is shocking’

In 2024, a 20-year-old student, anonymously referred to as Jane Doe, alleged that she was drugged and assaulted by multiple men of the Chi Phi fraternity house. At the time, Cornell University’s internal investigation led to expulsions and suspensions but no criminal charges. Now, following public outrage and a civil lawsuit by the woman against seven then-Chi Phi members and the University, the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office is officially reopening a criminal investigation.

According to CNN, records of the university’s investigation indicate that Doe struggled with the situation before she finally reported the alleged sexual assault. In it, she described feeling coerced. Additionally, she made explicit accusations of rape in an interview with campus police, stating, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.”

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten told CNN that his office never received the transcript of this interview, which led to the decision not to bring charges in the case. On the other hand, Cornell has said that campus police followed protocol and shared “all investigatory information.” In the face of new information and renewed allegations, Van Houten told CBS that he hopes to bring the matter before the grand jury within 45 days. 

The DA claims the case presented to them as different

Per CNN, Van Houten noted that his office’s initial decision not to pursue charges was based on a six-page sworn statement provided by Doe, which he claimed differed from the allegations later outlined in her civil lawsuit. He insisted that his team had reviewed the provided documents thoroughly at the time. “I never saw it, never heard it until tonight,” Van Houten told CBS in an interview. “If it exists, I will get it. You can be sure of that.”

Doe’s attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, has been highly critical of how the case was handled. He told CNN that the information contained within the Title IX proceedings and the interview transcripts “would have significant probative value for a criminal investigation.” According to Giuffra, Doe’s evolution from initial confusion and shame to the eventual realization of the assault is consistent with a textbook reaction to trauma. 

He told CBS News, “What more did (Van Houten) need to do a thorough investigation and prosecute? He had a woman who told an officer she was raped and a group chat inviting sexual assaults. The failure to do anything is shocking.”

The documents compiled during Cornell’s internal Title IX investigation were extensive, reportedly including hundreds of pages of emails, text messages, and photos. CNN pointed to the New York Times review of the documents, nothing that Doe initially struggled to process the event, communicating with some of the men involved in the days following the incident. 

One man reportedly sent a text apologizing for how things went down, to which Doe initially replied in a reassuring manner, stating, “non of the sexual stuff was illegal.” Her legal team argues that this was a result of her being in shock and attempting to navigate a situation where she felt humiliated and fearful of reputational damage.

Per CBS, in a statement, Cornell noted that a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over multiple days, resulting in sanctions that included the expulsion and suspension of several students. The university also shuttered the Chi Phi chapter in 2024 and confirmed that it remains barred from campus. 

Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff clarified that while some students were expelled or suspended, others were found not responsible for sexual misconduct. The outlet noted that Doe’s lawsuit accuses the university and the other defendants of breach of contract, negligence, and violations of state law. Doe’s accusations match the results of a recent national survey on sexual violence. 

CBS reported that the accused men have denied the allegations. Jeremy Saland, an attorney for one of the defendants, Scott Kretzchmar, argued that while the Snapchat messages sent that night were “ugly,” they do not constitute proof of sexual assault. 

Saland stated that his client did not touch the woman and that a hair follicle test showed no ketamine in his system. Another attorney, Andrew Miltenberg, representing defendant Gillio Lopes, stated that his client “unequivocally denies the allegations” and that the public accusations differ from the findings of the university’s internal process. A former South Park writer has claimed to have information on the accused and is building a website to expose them.

As the case moves toward a grand jury, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that Cornell has agreed to hire outside counsel for an independent investigation into whether the university met its obligations to protect its students. Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo has also requested that the university coordinate more closely with the local police department for future reports of sexual assault on campus.