Cornell University has rejected claims that it imposed minimal disciplinary consequences on seven fraternity members accused of gang rape in a civil lawsuit, calling the suggestion 'irresponsible' and sparking a public dispute over how the Ivy League institution disciplined them.
The university issued its rebuttal on 28 September 2026, hours after the Tompkins County District Attorney reopened a criminal investigation into the alleged October 2024 assault at the Chi Phi fraternity house.
A former student, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, alleges in a civil lawsuit that the accused were allowed to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays. Cornell says none of them faced an essay as their only consequence, but it has not said how many were expelled.
Cornell's Rebuttal and What It Leaves Unanswered
In a statement signed by Kyle Kimball, vice president for university relations, Cornell said a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over several days. The panel imposed 'a range of sanctions', including expulsions and suspensions, while both the complainant and respondents had the opportunity to testify and present evidence.
The statement said the Chi Phi chapter closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus. It described a Title IX investigation lasting several months, with temporary suspensions imposed while it ran.
Cornell called the continued claim that consequences were minimal 'irresponsible'. It said the claim would leave survivors feeling less safe and perpetuate underreporting of sexual assault.
The university did not say how many defendants were expelled and how many were suspended. Cornell said federal privacy law prevents it from discussing disciplinary responses for individual students.
Cornell University is literally gaslighting people with their statement here and alluding that valid criticism of the lack of punishment given to those male students is going to make survivors not speak out against their own abuse. What the fuck is this? https://t.co/27mJRDY2Mr pic.twitter.com/PQkYJIeECV
— adri ♡ (@socialistadri) September 28, 2026
The Lawsuit Behind the Dispute
Doe, who was 20 at the time, filed her complaint in New York state court in September. It names more than a dozen defendants, including the seven fraternity members, Cornell and the Chi Phi organisation. The complaint alleges she was given a substance she was told was ketamine and assaulted, and that one man used a group chat to invite others to join.
Against Cornell, the lawsuit alleges negligence, negligent supervision, breach of contract, violations of state human rights and education laws, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. It seeks compensatory and punitive damages without specifying an amount.
The complaint says several defendants received temporary suspensions in November 2024 and were 'afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays', according to The Sun. Her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, has claimed that only two of the seven were expelled. Cornell has not confirmed that figure.
District Attorney Reopens a Closed Case
Van Houten called the behaviour of certain Chi Phi members 'without question disgusting and morally reprehensible'. He told ABC News he considered Doe credible, but said criminal prosecutions must rest on evidence rather than emotion and that his office previously concluded there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.
He said Doe's sworn statement of November 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped. Van Houten said the statement described her drug and alcohol use as voluntary and her sexual conduct as 'voluntary, conscious, and consensual'.
He added that, according to the statement, sexual conduct stopped each time she asked. He said his office therefore concluded there was insufficient evidence of a lack of consent to sustain criminal charges.
Van Houten acknowledged that victims can need years of therapy and healing to process what happened to them. He told ABC News his office intends to present the case to a grand jury with her cooperation, calling the civil complaint 'dramatically different' from her earlier account and saying prosecutors want to know whether new evidence exists.
He acknowledged that his office relied on the Cornell Police investigation and did not investigate independently. He also said prosecutors never received the group chat cited in the lawsuit. Giuffra disputed his description of the statement and said authorities received the messages in 2024, calling them a 'critical piece of evidence'.
Denials and Political Pressure
Two defendants have publicly denied the allegations. An attorney for Scott Kretzschmar, Jeremy Saland, said the incident 'did not happen'. Scott Norris said he took no part in sexual activity or drug use but admitted sending a message included in the complaint.
The case has also drawn political attention. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised what she called a 'culture of rape' at Cornell during an Ithaca town hall on 28 September.
None of the allegations has been tested in court, and no criminal charges have been filed. The criminal investigation and civil lawsuit remain ongoing, with Van Houten's office intending to present the case to a grand jury and the court yet to rule on the civil claims.
