A civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan in September 2026 accuses seven members of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity of gang-raping a 20-year-old female student at their Ithaca, New York, residence in October 2024. The suit alleges the woman was administered alcohol and the drug ketamine before enduring repeated sexual assaults by multiple men over several hours.
The defendants named in the lawsuit are Scott Kretzschmar, Scott Norris, Johnathan Newell, Matthew Ingalls, Gillio Lopes, Winston Lee, and Diego Sarabia. The complaint details how the men allegedly took turns participating in the attack. Messages from a fraternity group chat included comments such as “free p---y” and “I f--king love chi phi,” suggesting a callous and coordinated environment. Johnathan Newell is said to have sent one message announcing “free p---y” accessible to those at the fraternity house.
While Kretzschmar is not directly accused of rape, the lawsuit alleges he engaged in snorting ketamine off the victim’s body. His attorney, Jeremy Saland, denied these claims, stating that Kretzschmar made only an "immature comment" on Snapchat and did not witness or participate in any sexual activity. Saland also noted that his client tested negative for ketamine in a post-incident hair-follicle drug test, and that the accuser was aware of these results.
The woman reported the incident to Cornell University approximately one week after it occurred. According to court documents, the university initially suspended the accused students but later permitted them to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays. The school has confirmed that some of the accused individuals have been expelled, though it declined to specify the number. Two expulsions were reported by the plaintiff’s lawyer, and the Chi Phi fraternity chapter at Cornell was subsequently shut down.
Despite the allegations and internal actions by the university, no criminal charges were initially filed following investigations by police and the district attorney’s office. However, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced on Monday that the case would be reopened in light of new information presented in the lawsuit.
The accuser’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, criticized both Cornell police and the district attorney’s office for their early handling of the case, suggesting that critical leads were not pursued and valuable evidence was lost. He revealed that a fraternity member provided his client with a key piece of evidence—a group chat message advertising “free p---y” in reference to the victim during the assault.
The case has drawn broader public attention, including from former "South Park" writer Toby Morton, who has launched a website called “TheCornell7.org” to expose the accused individuals and those he alleges were complicit in shielding them. Morton stated in an Instagram post that he had obtained domain names connected to the accused and expressed intentions to hold accountable those who allegedly enabled the fraternity members at Cornell.
The controversy also elicited condemnation from political figures, with U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressing the issue during a town hall in Ithaca. She criticized Cornell University and similar institutions for perpetuating cultures that protect perpetrators of sexual assault, emphasizing the systemic nature of the problem within elite academic settings.
Cornell University did not respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit or the ongoing investigation. The district attorney’s office continues to investigate the renewed allegations as the campus community grapples with the repercussions of the case.