The investigation into an alleged "gang rape" at Cornell University in October 2024 has drawn nationwide attention after a former student identified as "Jane Doe" filed a civil lawsuit last month, accusing seven fraternity members of drugging and assaulting her for hours.

Last week, Cornell announced that it is suspending "all parties and social events" at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year while an independent review is underway.

"These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue," Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff wrote in a letter to the Cornell community.

Kotlikoff also announced that the university would enlist "experienced, trauma-informed criminal investigators" to investigate allegations of sexual assault on its Ithaca, N.Y., campus.

Earlier this month, Cornell's board of trustees announced it had retained former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, a partner at law firm King & Spalding, to lead an outside review of how the university responds to sexual assault.

Separately, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as the special prosecutor to oversee the criminal investigation after losing faith in both Cornell and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who initially declined to bring charges in the Jane Doe case.

"This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable," the governor said. "And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her."

All of the men identified in Jane Doe's civil suit have denied any wrongdoing, according to the New York Times. None has been charged with a crime. On Friday, a New York judge denied a request from one of the accused fraternity members for a gag order in Jane Doe's civil case.

Here is a timeline of the case, from the alleged incident to the reopening of a criminal investigation, culled from Jane Doe's civil lawsuit, statements from Cornell and public officials, and other reports.

"Jane Doe" begins her freshman year at Cornell University, where she joins a sorority, Tri-Delta's Alpha Beta Chapter.

Jane Doe drinks vodka at her residence at the sorority before attending a Tri-Delta event hosted at Moonies Bar and Nightclub, where she is allegedly served alcohol despite identifying herself as underage.

Around 11 p.m., Jane Doe walks to the Chi Phi fraternity house, arriving "visibly intoxicated" after consuming "about 10 standard drinks within the past 3 hours," according to her civil lawsuit. Shortly after arriving, Jane Doe is allegedly pressured by two fraternity brothers into snorting what they said was ketamine before taking part in a threesome proposed by the men. "In her drunken state, Plaintiff was incapable of consenting to this proposition," the lawsuit alleges.

At 1:41 a.m., one of the men sends a message to the fraternity's Snapchat group suggesting that she was available for sex, according to the lawsuit, which included a screengrab of part of the group chat. The complaint alleges that multiple fraternity members show up and rape her over several hours. During the alleged assault, the fraternity members begin "pouring lines of Ketamine all over her body and snorting them," per the complaint.

At around 5:45 a.m., the alleged assault ends and Jane Doe loses consciousness, her lawsuit states. Later that day, Jane Doe returns to the sorority house "in a state of shock," per her suit.

Jane Doe exchanges text messages with one of the men she would later name in the lawsuit, who tells her, "I just wanted to apologize for how things went down the other night," according to the New York Times. She replies: "At the end of the day non of the sexual stuff was illegal and honestly i really liked being w u and matt."

Jane Doe makes an appointment at Cornell Health for a urinary tract infection and wants to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, telling the doctor she contracted it "in a traumatic way," per the Times. The doctor doesn't follow up and suggests she "go to therapy."

In another text exchange, Jane Doe tells one of the fraternity members that "my reputation is destroyed and I'm utterly ashamed," according to ABC News. In the same exchange, she also says: "everyone needs to grow up because sexuality and sex and [stuff] is changing and stuff like this is going to become more common. i'm also really open minded tho. i love u king."

Jane Doe sends a text to the same frat member saying she was "uninvited" to an upcoming Chi Phi Halloween party. "i knew this was going to happen. the woman will always get the short end of the stick," she writes. "yall aren't my friends. yall are covering your a****."

In a recorded phone call with one of the fraternity members, Jane Doe says she was "10 shots deep" when she arrived at the Chi Phi fraternity house and is now struggling to remember what happened, according to audio obtained by ABC News. The fraternity member insists Jane Doe told him she was sober before the alleged encounter, which she denies. At one point during the call, Jane Doe tells him, "If I wanted to take this somewhere, what y'all did would be classified as gang rape."

The fraternity member then suggests that their memory of what transpired may be inaccurate. Jane Doe pushes back: "No, because I remember looking up and being like, 'That is too many people.'"

Jane Doe reports the Oct. 19-20 incident to campus police.

According to CBS News, Jane Doe gives an interview to campus police in which she states: "I can say with 100% confidence I was raped." (Van Houten later says his office was not provided with a transcript of that interview when it decided not to pursue charges.)

Jane Doe gives a sworn statement to campus police in which she says that the incident "felt like coercion," according to ABC News. She recalls that at one point, she said "no to the foursome" that one of the fraternity brothers had proposed. She also states: "I remember being totally disgusted at the situation, and I felt very tired and intoxicated. I would say that my level of overall intoxication was about a 8 out of 10 level of intoxicated. I would say that it was the most intoxicated I've ever been in my life. I felt like I was unable to make any decision because of how intoxicated I was."

Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff publishes an open letter to students and alumni with an update on the "ongoing investigations into the serious and deeply disturbing allegations of drug abuse and sexual violence at the Chi Phi fraternity house." He says that "interim measures in the form of temporary suspensions were issued for a number of students to protect the immediate physical health and safety of all students."

"The behavior that has been outlined in the many allegations received is abhorrent and cannot be tolerated within our community. I urge anyone who has experienced or is aware of sexual misconduct on our campus to report it," he adds. "Only those who perpetrate sexual violence benefit from its concealment."

Cornell commences a Title IX investigation in response to Jane Doe's allegations, according to her lawsuit, holding at least 12 hearings over a four-week period in May.

According to ABC News, Jane Doe tells the school's investigators that she "felt like bait" on the night of the alleged assault.

"I felt like lions around me," she says during one of the hearings.

The comments are included in a 99-page report prepared in August by the university as part of its Title IX investigation, per ABC. The report also includes comments from a fraternity member who Cornell's investigation later concluded did not engage in the assault but was found responsible for "attempted sexual exploitation." 

"I was sorry that maybe if it wasn't consensual and she was victimized, I was sorry for not stopping it," the fraternity member says, according to ABC.

According to the New York Times, Jane Doe tells Cornell's Title IX investigators that she did not consider herself a victim until she saw the incident being discussed as a "gang rape" in an online forum.

"That's the first time I had ever heard the narrative change that I wasn't a whore and that I was assaulted," Jane Doe tells investigators, per the Times.

Cornell establishes a Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault that is "charged with understanding and addressing sexual assault involving undergraduate students on the Ithaca campus."

Cornell University releases the task force's final report with recommendations aimed at "developing a holistic public health framework for addressing sexual assault":

"By improving communication, education, transparency, and access to resources, we can ensure students are well-informed and supported as we work to confront sexual assault at Cornell," the school says. "Among the key measures in the report are launching a public health campaign; increasing students' knowledge and clarity of reporting options and confidential resources; developing new educational opportunities, including courses focused on sexual citizenship; prioritizing evidence‑based prevention strategies; and expanding training for students, leaders, and residential staff."

Jane Doe files a civil lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against Cornell University, seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, the Chi Phi and Tri-Delta Alpha Beta House chapters and the owners of Moonies Bar & Nightclub.

Cornell University releases a statement saying it is aware of "a lawsuit concerning the deeply disturbing allegations of sexual assault involving members of the student community that occurred in 2024." 

The university says that it "adjudicated the allegations consistent with university policies," adding: "Federal privacy law prohibits Cornell from disclosing specific information regarding individual students and we therefore are unable to make a public statement on any other disciplinary response."

Van Houten, the Tompkins County district attorney, announces that he has reopened a criminal investigation into the alleged incident. Van Houten describes the allegations as "morally disturbing," but argues that the facts he knew at the time did not support a prosecution. 

"My office obviously did not and could not have based our November 2024 decision on the allegations in a civil lawsuit that would not be filed until nearly two years later," Van Houten says in a lengthy statement that sought to explain why he initially decided not to prosecute the case.

Cornell releases a statement saying it supports the district attorney's decision to reopen the case, while pushing back against critics who say it did not "impose consequential punishments for those involved."

"The complainant and respondents had the opportunity to testify and present evidence," the school says. "At its conclusion, the hearing panel issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell. None of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement."

Hochul says she has lost faith in Van Houten and signs an executive order appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James as the special prosecutor to oversee the investigation.

Hochul holds a press conference with James to explain her appointment as special prosecutor, saying Jane Doe was "failed" by people obligated to protect her.

"In what world would the police learn from a victim that she'd been literally gang raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney?" Hochul says. "In what world does the district attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved or even request the full transcript?"

James says that the case is "now an active criminal investigation."

"We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions," she says, adding: "I know that you want answers. I do too."

Kotlikoff, Cornell's president, posts an eight-minute video statement, saying it "has been one of the most difficult weeks" in the university's history, and that the school "must do better" to address sexual assault and substance abuse on campus.

"What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come. My heart aches when I think of what she experienced," Kotlikoff says. "It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use. It also raises questions around the investigations conducted after the allegations were reported."

Jane Doe's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, says his client has received "multiple threats" in recent days from people who want her to withdraw her lawsuit.

"There are people out there trying to track her down," Giuffra says on CNN's State of the Union. "They said, 'We're gonna shut you up. You're gonna still get hurt by us.'"

Thousands of people gather at Cornell for a protest against the university's handling of sexual assault cases. The "Justice for Survivors" rally takes place in front of Day Hall, which houses the university's administrative offices and had been vandalized by activists overnight.

"We are known as the rape school," Saya Taylor, a Cornell sophomore, says at the event. "We can be known as leading a nationwide reform movement."

Kotlikoff and Ryan Lombardi, the school's vice president for student and campus life, meet with the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, which presses them on their response to Jane Doe's allegations.

"We're all angry. I understand that anger," Kotlikoff says, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. "People want easy answers to this."

Cornell's board of trustees announces it has retained former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, a partner at law firm King & Spalding, to lead an independent review of how the university responds to sexual assault on campus.

Cornell imposes a ban on all fraternity parties and social events for the remainder of the 2026-2027 academic year.

Kotlikoff, Cornell's president, also announces that the university will enlist "experienced, trauma-informed criminal investigators" to review allegations of sexual assault on campus.

"These are first steps toward systemic change," Kotlikoff writes in a letter to the Cornell community. "We will take all necessary steps to address the conditions that led to Jane Doe's experiences, and those of other survivors. Cornell must be a place where safety is not an open question."

In an interview with the New York Times, Kotlikoff says he learned of Jane Doe's allegations shortly after she reported them to campus police, but did not follow up with her or seek to determine whether the fraternity members she accused had been punished. He also says he was not informed when Van Houten, the local prosecutor, declined to bring charges and was unaware that Jane Doe had dropped out of Cornell until last month, when she filed suit.

"The fact that Jane Doe experienced what she experienced at Cornell is something that I am personally sorry for," Kotlikoff says. "And I think this entire campus is sorry that occurred."

In a "heated" meeting, Kotlikoff is pressed by "angry" faculty members over the university's handling of the Jane Doe case. The meeting is held as the faculty senate is considering a no-confidence resolution to condemn the school's response to sexual violence on campus. A vote on the resolution is expected at the end of the month.

Oct. 16, 2026

A New York judge denies a request from one of the accused fraternity members for a gag order limiting what lawyers and parties in Jane Doe's civil lawsuit can say publicly. Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond calls the dispute a "side show," according to ABC News.

Lawyers for two of the accused students also continue pressing for James to be removed as special prosecutor, pointing to a social media post in which she expressed support for Jane Doe. Hochul has said she stands by the appointment.

The same day, students hold a mock trial outside a Cornell Board of Trustees meeting, "convicting" the fraternity system, Kotlikoff and several administrators in protest of the university's handling of the case.