Cornell Rape Case Timeline: From Jane Doe’s 2024 Police Report to the Reopened Investigation

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the criminal investigation into allegations stemming from a 2024 incident at Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity house after a civil lawsuit was filed in September. His office said it intends to review the evidence and present the case to a grand jury after determining what charges, if any, are appropriate.

The reopening followed the emergence of a transcript of Jane Doe’s November 2024 interview with Cornell University Police. The transcript shows Doe told investigators, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.” She also described herself as “completely and totally incapacitated” and said, “Yes. It was coercion, yes.”.

Van Houten told CBS News, New York that he had not previously seen the transcript before his office decided not to bring criminal charges. “I’m going to follow up on this because this is news to me,” Van Houten said. “Nobody knows this information about the transcript, and that gives me something to really dig into because that changes the landscape for me.”

Cornell has told the district attorney of the findings of its investigation and has also agreed to have an independent inquiry into the way in which it dealt with the allegations.

The case is now the subject of two separate actions, which are a civil lawsuit brought by Doe and a criminal investigation which has been reopened. At this stage, no individual has been criminally charged in relation to the allegations.

Sept. 14, 2026: Civil Lawsuit Filed

Jane Doe, a former student at Cornell, filed a lawsuit on September 14, 2026, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. In the complaint, Cornell University, the local and national Chi Phi organizations, the Tri Delta-related organizations, Moonies Bar & Nightclub and seven current or former Cornell students are named as defendants.

The complaint names seven student defendants. They are Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar.

The lawsuit claims that Doe was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house, located at 107 Edgemoor Lane in Ithaca, during the early morning of Oct. 25 to 26, 2024. It is alleged that Doe was intoxicated and that two members of the fraternity persuaded her to take a substance referred to as ketamine before the alleged sexual assaults.

According to the complaint, at about 1:42 a.m., Newell sent a message to the fraternity’s Snapchat group, “Chi Phi Actives,” declaring there was “free p–y” upstairs. The lawsuit alleges the message encouraged other fraternity members to participate.

Nov. 8, 2024: Police Report Filed

According to the police investigation and the university’s records, Doe reported the incident to the Cornell University Police on Nov. 8, 2024.

Cornell University Police released a crime warning stating that a person had reported being sexually assaulted by several men and having been forced to take ketamine and other drugs. At the same time, Cornell temporarily suspended the Chi Phi chapter as the investigation continued.

The case was handled initially by Cornell University Police. The Ithaca Police Department said that it had not received a report of the incident. Cornell said its police department’s established protocol was to provide its investigation to the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office when it believed a crime may have occurred on Cornell property.

Nov. 14-15, 2024: Cornell Police Interview Doe

The Cornell University Police interview with Doe began Nov. 14, more than three weeks after the alleged incident, and continued the following day.

A Cornell police investigator conducted the interview. A Title IX investigator, a victim advocate and Doe’s adviser were also present during the first day.

According to the transcript, Doe described drinking and using drugs on the night of the alleged assault and said she had gaps in her memory. She distinguished an initial sexual encounter from what she said happened later.

When describing the later events, she told the investigator, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.”

Doe also said she was “completely and totally incapacitated.” When asked about whether she experienced coercion, she responded, “Yes. It was coercion, yes.”

The transcript shows the investigator documenting her account, reading portions of the statement back to her and allowing her to clarify or correct it.

On the second day, Doe reviewed a revised six-page statement. Before signing it, she said, “I’m very confident about this.”

The full final six-page statement hasn’t been publicly released.

2025: Cornell’s Internal Investigation

Cornell subsequently conducted a Title IX investigation into the allegations. The university’s process included multiple hearings and resulted in disciplinary sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions, according to Cornell. The university has declined to identify individual disciplinary outcomes, citing federal privacy requirements.

Also, no criminal charges were filed in 2024. The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office ultimately determined there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges at that time. Doe later left Cornell.

The criminal and university processes were separate. Cornell’s disciplinary proceedings did not result in criminal charges against the individuals named in the civil lawsuit.

September 2026: Questions Over the Original Criminal Investigation

Van Houten said Doe’s November 2024 sworn statement differed from the allegations contained in the 2026 civil complaint. He said the 2024 statement “did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped” and “described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.”

The newly surfaced interview transcript has since raised questions about what information was available to prosecutors when that decision was made.

“If she had said those words, we certainly would want to have explored that more,” Van Houten told CBS News, New York. “Like I said, that wasn’t provided to me.”

He said the case could be presented to a grand jury, which would determine whether an indictment should be issued.

Doe’s Attorney Questions Original Investigation

Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, has criticized the handling of the original criminal investigation and said investigators should have pursued the allegations more thoroughly.

“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,” Giuffra said. “Neither I nor Ms. Doe have any confidence in DA Houten’s ability to handle this investigation and prosecution.”

Giuffra has welcomed the decision to reopen the criminal investigation while calling for further investigative work.

Van Houten, meanwhile, said his office is reviewing what information was available during the original investigation and what additional evidence may now be relevant. He said the grand jury would be able to consider new evidence arising from the civil complaint.

Cornell Agrees to Independent Review

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has called for an outside review of the university’s response.

Cornell has cited federal privacy law in declining to disclose individual disciplinary outcomes.

The independent review is separate from the reopened criminal investigation by the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office and the civil lawsuit in New York state court.

The prosecutors have stated that the case could be handed over to a grand jury once the renewed investigation has established which charges, if any, should be brought.

Cornell is also undergoing an independent review into the way it has dealt with the allegations. Although Cornell states that its internal disciplinary process has already been completed, it hasn’t made public the individual sanctions.