Cornell 7 — Chi Phi case & special prosecutor

On September 16, 2026 a former Cornell University student, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell, its Chi Phi fraternity chapter and seven students. She alleges that she was drugged and sexually assaulted at the fraternity house in October 2024, and that the university failed her in how it handled the aftermath. Cornell's Title IX process expelled two students. The lawsuit alleges that others were allowed to write essays as a consequence; Cornell disputes that essays were ever a sole sanction. Some of the accused deny the allegations entirely, and others have said encounters were consensual.

No one has been criminally charged. On October 4 Governor Kathy Hochul removed the Tompkins County district attorney from the case and appointed a special prosecutor, who is expected to present the matter to a grand jury. CBS News New York has obtained transcripts of Cornell's Title IX interviews. Cornell has hired outside lawyers to review its own 2024 investigation.

Commentators have pointed to reporting that Jane Doe's sworn statement from November 2024 did not allege drugging, while her lawsuit does. That is precisely the kind of question a grand jury exists to weigh, and Redstring does not call it either way.

Redstring does not publish the names of the seven. None has been charged, and this board tracks the process, not the people. The case is filed under Grim for the allegations, and every person named or alluded to in it is presumed innocent.