Story perspectives

Cornell Investigation Expands After Student’s Chi Phi Assault Lawsuit

By Drooid · Oct 10, 2026, 6:03 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Jane Doe sues

Jane Doe, Cornell student, sued seven Chi Phi brothers for drugging and assault.
Doe said she received death threats, including a call to shoot her family.
Oct. 21, 2024 texts show defendant Jonathan Newell apologizing and claiming fuzzy memory.
Cornell’s internal probe expelled Newell and another brother for sexual assault.
Prosecutors declined charges, citing Doe’s statement she voluntarily used drugs and alcohol.

Summary

Letitia James investigates

Cornell’s board of trustees hired King & Spalding, led by Sally Yates, to investigate university handling of the case.
Students organized a Justice for Survivors rally demanding President Michael Kotlikoff’s resignation and a Title IX overhaul.
Faculty submitted a motion of no confidence in administrators after criticizing the campus response to the allegations.
New York Attorney General Letitia James opened a state-level investigation into the alleged assault and campus procedures.

History

Historical Context

Congress enacted Title IX on June 23 1972, banning sex discrimination in any funded education program. Nixon ordered the Health, Education and Welfare Department to issue regulations, finalized in 1975, and later administrations expanded the law to cover sexual assault, prompting a $1.5 billion 2020 compliance budget. That federal precedent now drives Attorney General Letitia James and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to demand a Title IX overhaul at Cornell University.

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Jane Doe sues

Jane Doe, Cornell student, sued seven Chi Phi brothers for drugging and assault.
Doe said she received death threats, including a call to shoot her family.
Oct. 21, 2024 texts show defendant Jonathan Newell apologizing and claiming fuzzy memory.
Cornell’s internal probe expelled Newell and another brother for sexual assault.
Prosecutors declined charges, citing Doe’s statement she voluntarily used drugs and alcohol.

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