Cornell Chi Phi Members Sued for Alleged Gang Rape, Ketamine Drugging of Student

Seven Chi Phi fraternity members at Cornell University face a civil lawsuit alleging they drugged and gang-raped a 20-year-old student. Cornell reportedly offered accused students the chance to write essays to mitigate their conduct.

Cornell Chi Phi Fraternity Faces Civil Suit Over Alleged Gang Rape and Ketamine Attack

Seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell University are being sued by a 20-year-old former student who alleges they drugged her with ketamine and gang-raped her inside a Tudor-style frathouse in October 2024, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. NY Post Metro reports the 101-page filing includes a Snapchat screenshot in which one of the accused texted "Free p—y" to a group chat called "Chi Phi Actives" at 1:42 a.m. as the woman lay unconscious.

"This is crazy work," one defendant allegedly responded in the group chat. Another person added, "Like you can walk in and whip it out," according to the court documents.

The plaintiff, who is identified anonymously and no longer attends Cornell, says the night began as an outing with her sorority sisters before she met one of the defendants at the fraternity house. When she declined his offer of a threesome, he allegedly pressured her to snort ketamine for the first time, while she also consumed marijuana and high-proof rum, the filing states.

The defendants then "began engaging in sexual acts with Plaintiff, all without her consent," including both oral and vaginal intercourse, the lawsuit reads. As one fraternity member left, another entered the room to take his place, the filing alleges. At one point, one of the accused poured a line of the powder "onto his erect penis and commanded that Plaintiff snort it, which she did," according to the suit. The assault allegedly continued until 5:45 that morning.

In the aftermath, Cornell offered the accused students the opportunity to "mitigate their conduct by submitting essays," the filing states — a response the lawsuit characterizes as wholly inadequate. The plaintiff argues that the university "created an environment where sexual assault and rape of persons such as Plaintiff would be tolerated" and failed to "discipline or remove" the students involved.

The attack was reported to both campus authorities and Ithaca police approximately one week after it occurred. The fraternity and all seven accused students were placed on temporary suspensions at the time. "The behavior that has been outlined in the many allegations received is abhorrent and cannot be tolerated within our community," Cornell said in a statement issued then.

Cornell declined to comment to the NY Post on the lawsuit, including whether the accused men submitted essays or faced further disciplinary action. The Tompkins County District Attorney's office told the Post that a criminal investigation did not result in charges being brought against any of the seven men, declining to elaborate further.

The plaintiff says in her suit that she left her family and flew across the country to attend Cornell roughly two years before the assault, and "immediately encountered a glorified — yet materially false and misleading façade of Cornell University Greek life." The university, she alleges, actively promotes Greek life "as well managed, worthy pathways to new friendships."

Several of the accused have since deleted their LinkedIn profiles, though some appear to have continued their studies at Cornell. The fraternity house itself appears to remain shuttered.

The lawsuit arrives against a backdrop of longstanding concerns about sexual violence within Cornell's Greek life system. In 2021, the university enacted a series of reforms targeting fraternity conduct. Those measures were followed just one year later by a temporary ban on all fraternity parties after four women separately reported being drugged and sexually assaulted inside frat houses. Students have repeatedly called for the Greek system to be abolished entirely.

The victim's attorney was unavailable for comment, his office said, citing other professional commitments.

Source: NY Post Metro