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Image: Cornell University; Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
A former Cornell University student has filed a lawsuit accusing the university, several Greek organizations, a downtown Ithaca bar and seven former students of responsibility for an alleged sexual assault at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024, Fingerlakes1.com reported.
The 101-page lawsuit was filed Sept. 14 in New York County Supreme Court. The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, says she was drugged and sexually assaulted after attending a Tri Delta event and later going to the Chi Phi house.
The lawsuit also accuses Cornell, Chi Phi and Tri Delta organizations of failing to provide adequate supervision and protection.
Lawsuit Says Student Was Intoxicated Before Arriving at Fraternity House
According to the complaint, Doe was 20 years old and living at Cornell’s Tri Delta house at the time.
She attended a sorority event at Moonies Bar & Nightclub in downtown Ithaca before later going to the Chi Phi fraternity house to meet someone she knew.
The lawsuit says she was visibly intoxicated when she arrived and was later pressured to use what she was told was ketamine, along with marijuana and high-proof alcohol.
The complaint alleges that several fraternity members then sexually assaulted her over the course of the night while she became increasingly incapacitated.
Cornell Suspended Chi Phi After Report
Doe reported the incident to Cornell University Police on Nov. 8, 2024.
That same day, Cornell temporarily suspended the Chi Phi chapter and several students named in the lawsuit. The university later opened a Title IX investigation.
Cornell has since said its investigation is complete and that Chi Phi remains barred from campus. The university said privacy rules prevent it from discussing discipline involving individual students.
Complaint Points to Earlier Drug and Safety Concerns
The lawsuit alleges Cornell and Chi Phi knew about serious risks connected to the fraternity house before the October 2024 incident.
It points to what the complaint describes as a culture of ketamine use at Chi Phi and says police had responded to a drug-related incident there about a week earlier.
That history is important because the case asks whether school and fraternity officials had enough warning to take stronger precautions.
Tri Delta and Bar Also Named
The lawsuit accuses Tri Delta’s local and national organizations of failing to properly supervise Doe before she went to the fraternity house.
According to the complaint, the sorority house mother knew Doe had been drinking but still accompanied her to Moonies, while designated sober monitors allegedly failed to intervene.
Moonies is also named in the case. The lawsuit says the bar served Doe alcohol despite markings showing she was under 21.
Moonies disputes that claim and says its bartenders followed procedures meant to prevent underage drinking.
Cornell Says Chi Phi Remains Off Campus
Cornell said after the lawsuit was filed that Chi Phi remains barred from campus and pointed to a presidential task force on campus sexual assault created after the incident.
That task force issued recommendations in March 2026 aimed at improving prevention, transparency and student support. Cornell’s 2025 sexual-misconduct survey also showed increases in several categories of reported misconduct.
Case Could Put New Scrutiny on Greek-Life Oversight
The lawsuit raises broader questions about how universities and Greek organizations supervise alcohol use, drug use and student safety around fraternity and sorority events.
It may also test whether prior incidents or warning signs should have led Cornell or Chi Phi to take stronger action before the alleged assault.
