Prosecutors in central New York are reexamining a 2024 alleged gang rape case at Cornell University after a former student's civil lawsuit alleged the school let some accused fraternity members write 'essays' to soften their punishment, with none arrested, as part of its renewed review of the allegations and available evidence now.
Prosecutor Takes the Case to a Grand Jury
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office now plans to bring the matter before a grand jury with the accuser's cooperation. 'We want to reexamine whether there's additional evidence that we were not aware of in November of 2024, that exists now that would change our assessment of the case,' he told ABC News, adding that fresh scrutiny could lead grand jurors to find criminal conduct.
The move follows a lawsuit filed on 14 September in Manhattan Supreme Court by a woman identified as Jane Doe. It names Cornell, Chi Phi's Xi chapter and its house corporation, the Delta Delta Delta sorority, Moonies Bar & Nightclub in Ithaca, and seven men who were students in 2024. They are Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar. None has been criminally charged.
A Credibility Fight Over Her First Account
Van Houten offered a blunt reason for the reversal. He said the civil complaint reads as 'dramatically different' from the account Doe gave police two years ago, when his office declined to charge anyone. He said her original statement did not allege she was drugged without her knowledge, forced into any act, or left incapacitated.
Doe's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, rejected that framing. He said Doe was never interviewed by a specially trained detective or prosecutor and that authorities failed to follow up. He also said a fraternity group chat central to the case was handed to police in 2024, which he said contradicted Van Houten's claim that his office never received it.
The 'Essay' Discipline That Fuelled Outrage
A central claim in the lawsuit is that Cornell allowed some accused men to 'mitigate their conduct by submitting essays'. The lawsuit says the assault happened in October 2024, when Doe was 20, and that a member posted a sexually explicit message to a Snapchat group called 'Chi Phi Actives' inviting others to the room, according to allegations contained in the complaint filed by Doe in Manhattan.
Cornell, in a 21 September statement, said it takes sexual violence 'extremely seriously' and that its Office of Civil Rights and Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards investigated and adjudicated the allegations under university policy. It said federal privacy law bars it from detailing individual outcomes, and confirmed the Xi chapter 'remains barred from our campus'.
An attorney for Scott Kretzschmar said the incident 'did not happen'.
A Test for Ivy League Accountability
For US parents weighing elite schools, the case raises questions about how campus systems respond to sexual assault allegations. Cornell convened a task force that issued recommendations in March 2026 following a survey that showed rising reports of sexual misconduct.
Doe, who withdrew from what her lawyer called her dream school, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and a jury trial. The complaint lists no specific dollar amount. The grand jury will consider whether criminal charges are warranted.
