Cornell records show accuser said she “felt like bait”; New York AG to investigate
In short
Records from Cornell University’s disciplinary investigation show a woman who says she was gang-raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024 told investigators she “felt like bait,” according to excerpts reviewed by The Associated Press. The local district attorney declined to file criminal charges in 2024, and New York’s governor has appointed the state attorney general to investigate the alleged assault and Cornell’s response.
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Records from Cornell University’s disciplinary investigation show that a woman who says she was gang-raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house told school investigators she “felt like bait,” with the men “like lions around me,” according to excerpts reviewed by The Associated Press. The woman, identified in court papers only as Jane Doe, says she was given ketamine and repeatedly assaulted at the fraternity house in October 2024, and has sued Cornell and seven former students. [ 1 , 6 ]
She reported the encounter to campus police. ABC News reported she went to the Cornell University Police Department on Nov. 8, 2024, a day after a call in which she told one of her alleged attackers, Matthew Ingalls, “The only way for me to heal is to know what happened.” The local district attorney decided not to file criminal charges in 2024 after reviewing a police summary of her interview; The Hill reported he said she did not say directly that the encounter was not consensual, and that documents reviewed by CBS News showed she told school investigators she was “100%” certain she was raped, but that statement did not reach his office. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
Cornell’s Title IX investigation continued, with the aim of deciding discipline for the students involved. This week, a lawyer for one of the accused men filed records from that investigation in a lawsuit seeking to overturn the university’s punishment and remove it from his academic record. The filings include a 99-page report on a campus hearing panel’s disciplinary findings and show 50 interviews with 32 witnesses and 12 days of hearings. Some of the accused disputed the woman’s account and said they were not involved in any assault. [ 1 ]
ABC News reported that text messages, phone calls and other records show some fraternity members tried to contain the allegations in the weeks afterwards, with students describing “damage control” and concern about their reputations and futures on campus. The records show the woman’s account changed from describing the sexual encounters as largely consensual to calling them a “gang rape.” During Cornell’s investigation, Ingalls said he was too intoxicated to consent and suggested the woman assaulted him; he has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing, as have the other brothers named in the civil suit. [ 5 ]
NBC News aired video of a confrontation with Gillio Lopes, one of the men accused, and reported that the student says she feels “betrayed” over Cornell’s handling of the information she gave campus police about what was alleged at the Chi Phi house. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the alleged assault and Cornell’s response, and said Cornell’s president agreed to hire an outside group to investigate the university’s handling. The Hill reported that House lawmakers are looking to strengthen protections for sexual assault victims. [ 6 ]
Why it matters
The case has drawn national outcry over sexual violence and consent, and the state attorney general’s investigation places both Cornell’s Title IX process and the district attorney’s decision not to charge under outside review. The Hill reports House lawmakers are looking to strengthen protections for sexual assault victims, so how the university and prosecutors handled the case is being treated as a test of how such allegations are pursued.
Key facts
- A woman identified in court papers only as Jane Doe says she was given ketamine and repeatedly assaulted at Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. [ 1 , 6 ]
- She told Cornell investigators she “felt like bait” and that the men were “like lions around me,” according to excerpts of the school’s disciplinary records reviewed by The Associated Press. [ 1 , 6 ]
- She reported the encounter to campus police, and the local district attorney decided not to file criminal charges in 2024 after reviewing a police summary of her interview. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- Cornell’s Title IX investigation continued; records filed in court include a 99-page hearing panel report and show 50 interviews with 32 witnesses and 12 days of hearings. [ 1 ]
- ABC News reported that text messages, phone calls and other records indicate some fraternity members tried to contain the allegations, describing “damage control.” [ 5 ]
- Matthew Ingalls, one of the accused men, told Cornell investigators he was too intoxicated to consent and suggested Jane Doe assaulted him; he has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing, as have the other brothers named in the civil suit. [ 5 ]
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the alleged assault and Cornell’s response, and said Cornell’s president agreed to hire an outside group to review the university’s handling. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A woman identified as Jane Doe says she was given drugs and sexually assaulted at Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- She reported the incident to Cornell police and the local district attorney did not bring criminal charges. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Records from Cornell’s disciplinary investigation, including her account of feeling “like bait,” have been reviewed by news outlets and filed in litigation. [ 1 , 6 ]
- Some of the men accused dispute her account and deny wrongdoing. [ 1 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- The exact date of the alleged assault. ABC News dates the incident to Oct. 19, 2024, while other reports say only October 2024, so the documents do not fully agree.
- Why Jane Doe’s statement to school investigators that she was “100%” certain she was raped did not reach the district attorney’s office. Reported by The Hill, citing documents reviewed by CBS News; the documents do not explain how or why the statement was not passed on.
- The status of the lawsuit by a lawyer for one of the accused men seeking to overturn Cornell’s punishment and remove it from his academic record. The documents say records were filed this week but give no ruling or next step.
- What the local district attorney is doing now, after criticism of his decision not to prosecute. NBC News refers to new questions about the district attorney’s actions before he decided not to move ahead, but no document says a review or reopening is under way.
- The full accounts of the accused men. The reported records are described as heavily redacted; some men disputed the woman’s account and said they were not involved in any assault, and one said he was too intoxicated to consent, but the claims have not been tested in criminal court.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the alleged assault and Cornell’s handling of the case. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The alleged assault is said to have taken place at the Chi Phi fraternity house, where the woman says she was given ketamine and repeatedly assaulted. [ 1 , 5 ]
- Jane Doe goes to the Cornell University Police Department, a day after a phone call with Matthew Ingalls in which she said, “The only way for me to heal is to know what happened.” [ 5 ]
- At a Cornell hearing, Jane Doe describes being in a state of “vague consciousness” after taking ketamine for the first time. [ 6 ]
- The Associated Press reports on excerpts of Cornell’s disciplinary investigation, including the woman’s statement that she “felt like bait.” [ 1 ]
- NBC News reports video of a confrontation with Gillio Lopes, one of the men accused. [ 2 , 3 ]
- NBC News reports the student says she feels “betrayed” over Cornell’s handling of the information she gave campus police in 2024. [ 4 ]
- ABC News reports that records suggest some fraternity members tried to contain the allegations. [ 5 ]
- The Hill reports that Gov. Kathy Hochul has appointed Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the alleged assault and Cornell’s response. [ 6 ]