Cornell Fraternity Scandal: New Transcript Raises Serious Questions
See more of our coverage in your search results.
The Cornell University student who accused seven fraternity brothers of sexually assaulting her told police: “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” according to a newly revealed transcript.The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, was interviewed by campus police over two days in November 2024, describing how a night of partying devolved into her becoming “completely and totally incapacitated” and then gang raped, according to the transcript obtained by CBS News.Doe was joined by a Title IX investigator, a victim advocate and partly by her adviser during the Nov. 14-15, 2024 interview, where she admitted the night of drinking, drugs and sex at the Chi Phi fraternity house began consensually.“Yeah, as much as I can be because, again, I was super drunk when I got there,” she said. “But I was pretty OK with all of this.”But as she was offered more drugs and alcohol, a threesome she began having consensually turned into a revolving door of frat bros allegedly coming and going from the room to take turns having sex with her, the report said.“And then, of course, I was being hit at the same time,” Doe told police, according to the transcript. “Physically hit very, very hard.”Doe described pushing one groping hand away from her at one point, and at other moments telling fraternity brothers she was uncomfortable or too tired to keep having sex.The Chi Phi Fraternity House is seen on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, NY, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. Lone Pine Press for NY Post“Was it ‘no’ or was it, ‘eh, I’m tired’?” police asked, explaining that their questions were not accusations but important clarifications for case-building.“I think it’s, ‘I’m tired,'” Doe replied.Police then asked whether she finally became so exhausted from fending off the brothers that she allowed them to have sex with her, to which she responded, “Yes. It was coercion.”She also told cops she didn’t remember the night “where I was raped” — and that she didn’t know how many people had sex with her while she was in that state, according to the report.“I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” she said, adding “I’m very confident about this” as the interview ended.The transcript raises new questions about what authorities knew at the time about the case, with a separate six-page written statement Doe signed to Cornell University Police obtained by ABC News showing she said the night “felt like coercion,” but not clearly stating she believed she’d been raped.It also appears to contradict Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who on Monday justified his decision not to bring criminal charges at the time by claiming Doe never explicitly accused the seven men of any crimes.Van Houten said that decision was made based on the sworn statement, but claimed he never received the transcript, adding that he’d since requested it as his office has reopened an investigation into the Oct. 19-20, 2024, alleged attack.“If she had said those words, we certainly would want to have explored that more,” he told CBS. “Like I said, that wasn’t provided to me.”Cornell University Police told The Post “all investigatory information” from Doe’s case had been shared with the DA’s office in 2024, but didn’t specify if that included the transcript.The Chi Phi group chat included in Doe’s damning lawsuit. Obtained by NY PostCornell has been the center of a growing scandal over alarming rape allegations at the campus Chi Phi fraternity. Lone Pine Press for NY PostThe shocking two-year-old case was dragged into the light after Doe filed a sprawling lawsuit on September 18 claiming the brothers plied her with alcohol and ketamine at their fraternity after what started as a consensual hook-up with one of their ranks.That soon devolved into a threesome with another brother, and before long others were coming and going from the room to have sex with her and snort ketamine off her body.One of them even allegedly sent a message in a fraternity Snapchat group chat declaring there was “free p–sy” in one of the rooms, while brothers leered responses like “shop still open” and “you can walk in and whip it out.”After reporting the alleged assault about three weeks late, Doe claimed Cornell let her alleged attackers “mitigate their conduct by submitting essays.” Several were later confirmed to have been suspended, while two were expelled.A Cornell spokesperson called her “irresponsible” for suggesting the brothers only punishment was writing an essay, insisting the Ivy League school takes sexual assault claims seriously.
