Editor’s Note: This article references a sexual assault and drugging.
Cornell released a Monday statement in response to a Sept. 14 lawsuit against the University, Cornell’s chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity and others for an alleged drugging and gang rape that occurred in the Chi Phi house in 2024.
The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff, identifying as Jane Doe, was sexually assaulted and gang raped by seven members of Chi Phi while incapacitated after being coerced into consuming a substance claimed to be ketamine.
In the statement, Kyle Kimball, vice president for university relations, confirmed that Cornell’s investigation of the incident has concluded and stated that the Xi chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity “remains barred from our campus.”
The University also declined to share further information regarding consequences for individual students involved after the lawsuit alleged that the defendants were offered the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to the University.
“Federal privacy law prohibits Cornell from disclosing specific information regarding individual students and we therefore are unable to make a public statement on any other disciplinary response,” the statement reads.
The University is generally not subject to state or federal laws regulating access to public agency records as a private university, though it is obligated to share records to New York State concerning public funding of colleges operated under contract with the state.
“Violations of university policies could lead to sanctions up to and including suspension or expulsion,” the statement reads. “We will respond in detail through the legal process.”
The lawsuit alleged that temporary suspensions were issued to the defendants Matthew Ingalls ’27, Jonathan Newell ’27, Winston Lee ’27, Gillio Lopes ’27, Diego Sarabia ’25, Scott Norris ’26 and Scott Kretzschmar ’26.
The Cornell Directory lists Lee and Lopes as current Cornell students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Sarabia is listed as an alumnus.
The Sun was unable to confirm the academic status of Ingalls, Newell, Norris or Kretzschmar, whose colleges are listed as“not applicable,” on the directory.
The University statement points to The Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault which was “launched shortly after this incident,” in Spring 2025. The task force issued a March 2026 report with recommendations for the University to combat sexual assault. The recommendations addressed the results of the 2025 Cornell Survey on Sexual Assault and Related Misconduct, which demonstrated a campuswide increase in all measures of sexual assault and misconduct at Cornell.
The recommendations call on the University to strengthen how it shares information with students, including by improving its sexual violence prevention and accountability websites, developing new “sexual citizenship” courses, expanding physical safety measures and increasing non-classroom programming.
The recommendations are intended to improve “communication, education, transparency, and access to resources” and ensure students are “well-informed and supported as we work to confront sexual assault at Cornell,” according to an email sent to the Cornell community, which was signed by President Michael Kotlikoff and Provost Kavita Bala.
The University has already implemented several of the recommendations, while other recommendations are being developed, according to the statement.
“We take sexual violence extremely seriously,” the University statment reads.
An online reporting tool and a list of confidential resources for individuals looking for confidential support were linked at the end of the statement.
If you have information about the lawsuit or the events surrounding the allegations, you can share it with The Sun through our confidential tip line.
Cereese Qusba is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She was a news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board and is a senior editor for the 144th Editorial Board. She can be reached at cqusba@cornellsun.com.
