What we know about Cornell University frat house rape investigationpublished at 14:10 BST
14:10 BST
Image source, Reuters
New York state prosecutors have reopened an investigation into the alleged rape of a woman at Cornell University in 2024.
The woman, named anonymously as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit against the Ivy League university on 16 September alleging she was drugged and raped at a fraternity house at the university.
She alleged that Cornell failed to protect her or adequately punish the men, who have been dubbed the “Cornell Seven”.
The university said it supported presenting the case to a grand jury, while rejecting claims that it failed to punish those involved. It has also agreed to have the case examined by an independent investigator.
In a 101-page civil lawsuit, the woman – who was a 20-year-old Cornell undergraduate at the time – alleged that on the night of 19 October 2024, seven men from Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity chapter assaulted her for hours in an incident involving alcohol and the drug ketamine.
Jane Doe said in her lawsuit that she was intoxicated during the alleged incident and incapable of providing consent.
She said she left her sorority sisters after drinking that night and “stumbled alone” to the Chi Phi fraternity house in the city of Ithaca to see a male friend.
The lawsuit was filed against the university, the fraternity, the sorority, and the men involved in the alleged attack.
You can read more about the case here.