Drug arrest at Cornell fraternity precedes alleged ketamine-fueled sexual assault
Cornell police detained a person for a drug offense at the Chi Phi house hours before a former student claims she was drugged and assaulted there.
On the early morning of Oct. 19, 2024, Cornell University police entered the Chi Phi fraternity house and arrested an individual on a drug charge, subsequently sending the matter to the university’s Office of Student Conduct. Later that night, Jane Doe filed a lawsuit claiming she was drugged with ketamine, alcohol and marijuana and sexually assaulted over several hours at the same location. In a video address, President Michael Kotlikoff described the accusations as "deeply disturbing" and urged the administration and campus community to do better.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten chose not to pursue criminal charges, basing his decision on Doe’s six-page initial statement. Doe’s lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, criticized the investigation as insufficient. Governor Kathy Hochul responded by naming New York Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to review potential charges. The case highlights ongoing concerns about campus safety and the handling of sexual assault allegations.
Why it matters
It raises questions about how universities and prosecutors investigate and respond to campus sexual assault claims.
How this story developed
- Sep 25 Student thought to be Korean named among defendants in Cornell sexual assault lawsuit
- Sep 28 Cornell confirmed the Chi Phi fraternity chapter remains barred from operating on campus.
- Sep 29 DA released excerpts of the survivor’s police statement and senior prosecutor began preparing the case for a grand jury.
- Oct 1 Cornell has agreed to bring in an outside firm to investigate allegations of a gang rape on campus.
- Oct 1 Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff approved an independent third‑party investigation into the university’s handling of the 2024 fraternity assault allegations.
- Oct 2 Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit alleging assault by former fraternity members.
- Oct 2 State officials have stepped in to review the university’s handling of the allegations.
- Oct 3 Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor in the reopened investigation.
- Oct 4 Governor Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor and Cornell announced an independent external review of its handling of the allegations.
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