Cornell Fraternity Held Meetings to Coordinate Cover-Up of Alleged Assault, Jane Doe's Lawyer Claims

Thomas Giuffra, the attorney representing the former Cornell University student known as Jane Doe, has accused members of the Chi Phi fraternity of holding coordinated meetings to cover up her alleged October 2024 gang r---.

Jane Doe's legal team claims that fraternity members organized internal meetings to assess whether the victim was gathering information about the assault.

State and local authorities have reopened a criminal investigation and appointed a special prosecutor.

The alleged victim filed a 101-page civil complaint on September 16, alleging she was plied with alcohol, marijuana and ketamine until she was incapacitated, and then gang-r---- for roughly seven hours inside the Chi Phi Fraternity house on October 19–20, 2024.

The lawsuit names seven former fraternity members — Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar — alongside Cornell University, national organizations, and a local Ithaca bar.

Giuffra said more than seven individuals may have been involved because his client blacked out at times.

Giuffra claims the fraternity members held meetings after the assault to determine what Jane Doe remembered and whether she was actively investigating the incident.

Giuffra told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday, October 6, that just before going on air, his client received a direct phone call threatening to kill her and her family.

“She's received multiple threats, and women who aren't even Jane Doe receive threats,” he said.

Giuffra revealed that moments before the broadcast, a caller threatened to shoot up Jane Doe's house and harm her mother, father, and the alleged victim herself, prompting her to call the police live during the situation.

He said that while she had previously received abusive and threatening emails, this was the first direct phone call and left them "terrified.”

Giuffra reiterated allegations that members of the Chi Phi fraternity held coordinated internal gatherings and group chat discussions to assess what the victim remembered and maintain a "conspiracy of silence" rather than alerting authorities.

He also noted that malicious communications and attempts to unmask or intimidate the victim have continued, including efforts to pursue individuals mistakenly identified online as Jane Doe.

Cornell University announced on October 6 that the former U.S. Deputy and Acting Attorney General Sally Yates will head an outside team from the law firm King & Spalding to investigate the school's response.

“I'm not afraid of these people. But the threats, the abuse to protect what's going on, the status quo — these guys are disgusting. They should stay in their mother's basement and stay out of the world,” Giuffra told Reuters.

Meanwhile, two of the Cornell 7 have reportedly relocated.

Ingalls reportedly left the United States and returned to Dubai, where he was raised and where his father lives, and Newell, expelled from Cornell, transferred to Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla.