Cornell University Lawsuit: Chi Phi Fraternity Members Accused of Sexual Assault
Cornell University and Chi Phi Fraternity Face Reopened Criminal Investigation Following Snapchat Evidence Disclosure
Criminal investigators reopened a sexual assault case involving Cornell University and seven members of the now-banned Chi Phi fraternity following the September 2026 filing of a civil lawsuit. The legal complaint details an incident from October 20, 2024, utilizing screenshots of a group chat on Snapchat to establish coordination among fraternity members while a 20-year-old student, identified as Jane Doe, was allegedly incapacitated by alcohol and drugs.
Case Evidence and Timeline Overview
- Initial Incident Date: October 20, 2024, beginning at approximately 1:42 a.m. and concluding near 5:45 a.m. at the Chi Phi fraternity house.
- Key Digital Evidence: A Snapchat group chat titled “Chi Phi Actives” containing explicit messages allegedly used to summon members to the location.
- Legal and Institutional Status: The initial November 2024 university police investigation yielded no criminal charges, but the prosecutor’s office announced a formal reexamination of the case on September 28, 2026.
Snapchat Group Chat Documentation and Alleged Coordination
According to the lawsuit, the evidentiary timeline centers on digital communications extracted from a Snapchat group chat. At 1:42 a.m. on October 20, 2024, Johnathan Newell allegedly posted a sexually explicit message in the “Chi Phi Actives” group chat. The plaintiff asserts this transmission served as an invitation for other fraternity members to enter the room where she lay incapacitated.
The civil complaint names seven specific individuals: Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar. The litigation argues that these chat logs demonstrate active awareness and participation by multiple fraternity members during the early morning hours.
Substance Administration and Physical Incapacitation Details
The legal filing outlines a sequence of events involving multiple controlled substances. The plaintiff reportedly consumed alcohol prior to arriving at the Chi Phi property. Once inside, the complaint alleges she was induced to consume high-proof alcohol, marijuana, and ketamine, an active dissociative anesthetic.
One section of the lawsuit alleges that Newell directed the student to inhale a line of ketamine placed on her own body, after which several of the named defendants positioned additional lines of the substance across her person while she remained recosted. The narrative further states that Matthew Ingalls and Winston Lee subsequently moved her to a secondary room, where the assault allegedly persisted with additional doses of ketamine administered until she lost total capacity. The timeline places the conclusion of the events at approximately 5:45 a.m.
Prosecutorial Reexamination and University Disciplinary Actions
The case returned to public scrutiny in September 2026 after remaining dormant following initial reports in late 2024. The student initially reported the incident to university police in November 2024, but prosecutors declined to file criminal charges at that time. Fiscal Matthew Van Houten stated that the account provided by the student during the initial 2024 inquiry differed substantially from the assertions outlined in the 2026 civil complaint.
Conversely, the plaintiff’s attorney contests that interpretation, arguing that the initial testimony was inadequately investigated. Following the filing of the 2026 lawsuit, the prosecution announced on September 28, 2026, that it would reexamine the case. Cornell University publicly endorsed the renewed criminal investigation.
In a public statement, Cornell University noted that it conducted an independent internal investigation following the 2024 incident. That institutional process resulted in student expulsions and suspensions, while the Chi Phi fraternity house was shut down in 2024 and remains banned from the campus. The criminal investigation remains active.