Cornell Fraternity Brothers Called Alleged Gang Rape ‘Consensual,’ Videos Show — as Letitia James Takes Over Investigation

Cornell students were holding a seven-hour sit-in on Wednesday in solidarity with the unnamed victim of an alleged fraternity house gang rape, even as newly surfaced footage shows Chi Phi fraternity brothers repeatedly describing the group sex incident at Cornell University in October 2024 as consensual.Organizers of the sit-in said the demonstration represented “seven hours for the seven hours” the woman at the center of the case — identified in court filings as Jane Doe — endured being drugged and gang-raped.But footage obtained by ABC News of campus police speaking with two unidentified fraternity brothers who are not among the seven men named in Doe’s civil lawsuit shows them describing the encounter to be consensual. “What people were saying was that there was, like, multiple consenting adults in the room,” one brother said. The second added, “There was a consensual act that took place.”When an officer pressed on how they could be certain of consent, one brother admitted uncertainty: “I can’t recall exactly what was said, but, yeah, I mean, they — they said that they had sex with her, I guess.”The footage also captured a separate interview with an unidentified female student, who told police that Chi Phi held a meeting after news of the incident spread in order to align members’ accounts. She said a brother at the party told her, “This was a consensual orgy … but don’t spread it because it will be bad for our image,” according to ABC.Records reviewed by ABC further show that the fraternity brother who allegedly invited Ms. Doe to the house before the encounter escalated, Matthew Ingalls,told Cornell investigators he was too intoxicated to have consented to sex and claimed that Ms. Doe had assaulted him. Text messages show fraternity leadership scrambling in the aftermath, with the chapter’s then-president asking Mr. Ingalls, “When was the last time you spoke to (Jane Doe)?” Mr. Ingalls replied, “Yesterday … what’s the plan of action? Should I call (her)? I don’t think she would have reported this.”Cornell’s internal investigation resulted in two expulsions and several suspensions, but the case has drawn sustained criticism over how both the university and local prosecutors handled it. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to bring criminal charges citing insufficient evidence. Last week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor, a move both Cornell and Mr. Van Houten have publicly welcomed.Cornell has also hired former U.S. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of how the university responds to sexual assault allegations, including its handling of the Chi Phi case specifically.

Cornell Fraternity Brothers Called Alleged Gang Rape ‘Consensual,’ Videos Show — as Letitia James Takes Over Investigation

Cornell Fraternity Brothers Called Alleged Gang Rape ‘Consensual,’ Videos Show — as Letitia James Takes Over Investigation

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