A former Cornell University student filed a lawsuit last week, alleging that in 2024 she was coerced into consuming drugs and then gang-raped by several members of the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell.

The plaintiff, identifying as Jane Doe, alleges that she was assaulted for multiple hours in October 2024.

“In the aftermath, I was deeply disappointed by the lack of support I received from the student community,” the plaintiff told The Cornell Daily Sun. “What I experienced was already devastating, but that pain was compounded by being criticized and ostracized at a time when I needed compassion, support and care the most.”

The plaintiff is suing the university, the fraternity and its former president, seven current and former students, several sorority organizations, a local bar and several unnamed individuals.

The former and current Cornell students named in the lawsuit are defendants Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar.

“There is an injustice in this story that no language is equipped to handle,” the Binghamton University Feminist Collective wrote in an Instagram post. “A girl who made it to her dream school with her whole life ahead of her had her mind, body, and agency ripped away from her repeatedly, viscerally; the seven aggressors were punished with essays and workshops. The moral of this girl’s story is not only a failure of humanity, but a series of successes in systems that were built to uplift aggressors, perpetrators, and private businesses.”

The plaintiff alleges she attended a Tri-Delta National’s Alpha Beta Chapter event hosted at Moonies Bar & Nightclub on Oct. 19, 2024, and left at approximately 11 p.m. The plaintiff claims she stopped at the Lot 10 bar, then “stumbled alone” into Chi Phi National’s Xi chapter’s fraternity house to meet defendant Ingalls, her friend.

The plaintiff claims she was pressured to snort ketamine and was given marijuana and liquor. According to the lawsuit, without the plaintiff’s consent, defendant Ingalls allegedly initiated oral sex while defendant Newell engaged in vaginal intercourse. The plaintiff claims defendant Newell’s assault resulted in visible bruising the following day. Defendant Lopes also allegedly joined the assault.

At approximately 1:42 a.m., defendant Newell allegedly sent a message encouraging other fraternity members to join the assault, sending a message about “free pussy” upstairs to a Snapchat group for Chi Phi members.

“Fraternities often lead to hypermasculine environments that incentivize the objectification of women,” wrote Liv Rutherford, the president of BU Feminist Collective and a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, in a statement to Pipe Dream. “Whether through less direct means like ‘locker room talk’ or directly encouraging acts of sexual violence — as we’ve seen in the case of Chi Phi at Cornell — this is a widespread pattern. Fraternities are far from the only examples of this kind of ‘brotherhood’, we also see these similar patterns and behaviors in police and military as well.”

Allegedly, multiple other members of the chapter joined the assault, including defendant Newell demanding that the plaintiff snort lines of ketamine off of his erect penis.

The assault lasted until around 5:45 a.m., according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiff reported the incident to the Cornell police department on Nov. 8, 2024. The fraternity chapter and defendants Ingalls, Newell, Lee, Lopes, Sarabia, Norris and Kretzschmar were placed on temporary suspension. According to the lawsuit, defendants were offered the opportunity to submit essays to the university to mitigate the conduct cases.

“What happened to me was horrific and deeply disturbing,” the plaintiff told The Cornell Daily Sun. “Almost two years later, I still carry the weight of its impact every day and night.”

The Ithaca police department is still investigating the incident, while Cornell’s Title IX investigation is believed to have concluded, according to the complaint.

The complaint brings claims against Cornell University for negligence, negligent supervision, breach of contract, violations of state human rights and education laws and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

“The way that universities currently and historically address sexual violence is not to give voice to survivors but to crush victims into a pulp that can no longer speak up against their injustices,” wrote FemCo.

Rutherford told Pipe Dream it was important to FemCo to make a statement on this case because of the prevalence of victim-blaming narratives, even from well-intentioned people.

Rutherford also said it is important for survivors of sexual assault to take care of themselves while this case is being discussed, which could include opting out of triggering conversations and identifying support networks.

“Survivors should not be expected to maintain sobriety,” Rutherford wrote. “They also should not be expected to take immediate action directly after going through a [violent] and traumatic incident, especially as they are frequently mistreated and disregarded when they do. There is no rape without a rapist.”