A newly filed lawsuit is shedding light on disturbing allegations involving a former Cornell University student and members of the school’s Chi Phi fraternity.
The anonymous plaintiff, who was 20 at the time, alleges that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple fraternity members at a Chi Phi house in October 2024. The allegations are contained in a civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
According to the complaint, the woman had been drinking before arriving at the fraternity house. She alleges that several students later pressured her to take ketamine, along with consuming alcohol and marijuana, before the alleged sexual assault began.
The lawsuit claims that multiple fraternity members entered and left the room during the alleged attack. It also alleges that a message was posted in a Snapchat group called “Chi Phi Actives” during the incident, allegedly inviting other students to come upstairs.
The complaint says the alleged assault continued for several hours and ended around 5:45 a.m. The woman later reported the incident to Cornell and Ithaca police, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit names seven Chi Phi members as defendants, along with Cornell University and other parties. The plaintiff is also accusing Cornell of failing to adequately protect students and of handling the allegations in a way she considers insufficient.
However, the allegations have not resulted in criminal charges against the seven fraternity members, according to reporting on the case. An attorney representing one of the defendants has denied the allegations and said evidence supports his client's position.
The case is now moving through the civil court system, where the allegations will be contested. Cornell and the fraternity have also been named as defendants, making the lawsuit part of a broader dispute over how the university handled the reported incident and its Greek-life system.