Disturbing details on alleged Cornell rape victim's sworn statement

On 16 September, Cornell University student Jane Doe filed a 101-page civil lawsuit alleging that seven men raped her at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York, on the night of 19 October 2024. The lawsuit names the seven men, the fraternity, and the university, and claims sexual assault, battery, negligence, breach of contract, and violations of New York's Human Rights Law. Doe is identified in court papers as "Jane Doe."

District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced on Monday that he is reopening the criminal investigation and taking it to a grand jury. The grand jury will examine three accounts: the lawsuit's account, the account Doe gave under oath in 2024, and the account from police transcripts and her own messages. The lawsuit alleges that Doe was drugged with alcohol and ketamine and assaulted by the seven men over several hours while she was too intoxicated to consent.

According to the police record obtained by CBS News New York, Doe initially reported that she was voluntarily participating in drug use and sexual conduct. However, she later stated that she felt unable to make any decisions due to her level of intoxication and that the men should have known her state based on her slurred speech. The police report also mentions that Doe was unable to consent due to her intoxication.

Messages exchanged between Doe and one of the defendants two days after the incident suggest that they both regret the events that took place. Doe expressed that her memory was "super clouded" and suggested they continue socializing without the presence of "extra five billion men and ketamine." The university and the fraternity have stated that essays were imposed as part of the students' punishments, but they deny offering essays as a sole consequence.

The university has suspended the Chi Phi chapter and imposed sanctions on several students. The independent review and grand jury proceedings ask different questions, with the civil lawsuit focusing on the alleged crimes, while the criminal investigation aims to determine if there was sufficient evidence to charge the individuals named in the suit.