Cornell assault case scrutiny grows as inquiry reopens

Cornell University and local law enforcement are facing renewed scrutiny after a student who provided campus police with leads about a reported sexual assault said she believed the case was not handled properly. The allegations remain unadjudicated, and the district attorney has agreed to reopen the criminal inquiry. Jane Doe alleges in a civil lawsuit filed in September that multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted her at its Cornell house during the night of October 19-20, 2024. She says she was pressured to consume alcohol and ketamine and was incapacitated. The seven fraternity members named in the suit have not been criminally charged; attorneys for several have denied the allegations or said the sexual activity was consensual. An anonymous Cornell student told NBC News she and a friend initially sent a tip after the university issued a crime alert. She said police later interviewed her for about half an hour, during which she shared information about fraternity messages and possible witnesses. She also relayed secondhand information about drug use and said she believed she knew where ketamine was allegedly kept.