A civil lawsuit filed by a former undergraduate against Cornell University and seven male students has brought the issue of sexual violence on campus back into the public eye. The case, which alleges a gang rape at a fraternity house, highlights a recurring pattern of violence, institutional indifference, and impunity.
The Allegations
The unnamed plaintiff alleges that in October 2024, she was raped and sexually assaulted over a period of about seven hours at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house by seven men. The men are named as Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar. Lopes, Norris, and Kretzschmar have denied wrongdoing in statements to the press.
According to the lawsuit, the men plied the woman with alcohol and pressured her to snort ketamine, and then assaulted and raped her when she was severely intoxicated and unable to resist. The complaint includes screenshots from the fraternity's group chat, in which one of the men, Jonathan Newell, advertised “free pussy” on the night of the attack, seemingly inviting other men to join in the alleged gang rape.
Institutional Response
Some of the men who received the message responded with encouragement or delight, according to the screenshots. None of the more than 50 men in the group chat objected or reported the incident. The victim reported the assault, but only two of the men were expelled from Cornell. The other five were allowed to return to their studies; some were suspended or required to attend a workshop. According to the student-run Cornell Daily Sun, the accused were also asked to write an essay as part of their punishment.
The alleged victim dropped out of college and has not returned, according to her attorney. The local district attorney, Matthew Van Houten, initially declined to pursue charges, claiming that the woman did not assert that the encounter was nonconsensual or that she was drugged against her will. Van Houten said the allegations in the civil lawsuit are “dramatically different” from her statement two years ago. In her police interview at that time, Doe said: “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.” When asked about this by CBS News, Van Houten replied: “I'm going to follow up on this because this is news to me.”
A Pattern of Impunity
None of the men were ever arrested, and it is not clear that they were interviewed by police at all. Van Houten has since reversed his decision and reopened the case following a public outcry, but he has also defended his initial decision not to investigate. The case is a reminder that sexual violence is repetitive, often committed against women who are close by and vulnerable, and that institutions frequently respond with inaction and indifference.
The pattern is familiar: a woman comes forward, is told she is brave, and then is met with explanations of why she had no right to say no, and why inaction is the only rational response. Some version of this happens over and over again, every day. The Cornell case shows that rape can be a bonding activity for men, and that complicity is typical for responding institutions. Impunity for rapists is often cast as good sense, responsibility, fairness, or compassion.
The next time a case like this arises, the question remains whether anything will have been learned.
