Cornell 7 case: Breakdown of alleged assault case as university president finally speaks out

The Cornell 7 case has finally been given space to breathe because the university president, Michael Kotlikoff, addressed the issue and called the student's alleged gang r*pe deeply disturbing. According to Sky News, Kotlikoff said in an 8-minute video that the past week was the hardest time in the university's history.

The president explained that the university doesn't yet have complete answers but stressed that the reported incident raised serious concerns about s*xual assault, party culture, dehumanization, and drug and alcohol use. He said,

"What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come. My heart aches when I think of what she experienced."

According to The Independent, Jane filed a lawsuit against Cornell University along with 7 members of the Chi Phi fraternity. She stated that during a house party in Ithaca, New York, on October 19, 2024, she was forced to consume ketamine, after which the alleged 7 members s*xually assaulted her for several hours. She also said that at that time she was 20 years old.

Continue reading more about the Cornell 7 case.

The full timeline of the Cornell 7 case: What happened to Jane Doe?

August 2022

According to CNN News, Jane Doe enrolled at the university as an 18-year-old freshman. The lawsuit revealed that she joined the Alpha Beta chapter of Delta Delta Delta and later moved into the sorority house, which was located within the campus area.

October 19, 2024

On the night of October 19, Jane drank vodka at her sorority house until she was intoxicated, and around 8:30 p.m., she took an Uber to the bar with the sorority house mother. When she reached the bar around 9 p.m., the bar's bouncer marked an 'X' on her hand to show she was under 21, but she was still served at least one drink inside.

After one hour, Doe and other sorority members walked to another nearby bar, where she was given an 'under 21' wristband. Around 11 p.m., she left the second bar alone and went to the Chi Phi fraternity house to meet a friend.

According to the complaint, Jane was visibly intoxicated when she arrived because she consumed about 10 standard drinks within 3 hours. The Cornell 7 case started to take shape when the friend offered her a beer, and they danced before he demanded a threesome and took her to another room.

Inside the room, the friend and another fraternity member allegedly pressured her to snort a substance they called ketamine and then offered her more alcohol. Both men then s*xually assaulted her while she was incapable of consent. One of the men even slapped her on the buttocks and left bruises. Later, a third fraternity member entered the room and began s*xually assaulting her without Jane's consent.

October 20, 2024

One fraternity member allegedly posted in the 'Chi Phi Actives' Snapchat group inviting other members upstairs. The complaint stated that while Jane was lying on her back on the bed, the defendants poured lines of ketamine across her body and snorted them.

Soon after, two of the alleged perpetrators moved her to another room and instructed her to snort more ketamine. The Cornell 7 case took a tragic turn when the assault ended at around 5:45 a.m., and Jane lost consciousness. When Jane woke and went back to her sorority house, she noticed bruises and took medication in advance to prevent a urinary tract infection.

October 22, 2024

According to the investigation reports of the Cornell 7 case, Jane went to Cornell Health for treatment and to be tested for s*xually transmitted diseases. Jane's attorney Giuffra explained that during the visit, Jane told the health care professional that she had contracted an infection in a traumatic way.

Aftermath

Jane Doe had allegedly reported this incident to the Cornell University authorities in 2024, but the 7 accused were let off the hook with minimal punishment.

Cornell 7 case: Michael Kotlikoff opened up about the s*xual allegations made by Jane Doe

The Cornell University president, Michael Kotlikoff, had finally spoken out and called the Cornell 7 case deeply disturbing. He explained that the administration would investigate the Cornell 7 case and uncover the truth that the community deserves. He further stated that both the leadership and the community must improve, and they must take every possible step to prevent what happened to Jane Doe.

The president also clarified that he and the board of trustees welcomed an independent review by an outside law firm into all aspects of Cornell's handling of the 2024 matter. He said that the board would announce the starting date of the review the next week and added that the administration also supported the governor's decision to assign the criminal investigation to the New York Attorney General.

However, he emphasised that they would not wait for either the investigation or the review to finish before taking action. He said that this message marked the beginning of an ongoing constructive and active conversation with the community.

Michael further explained that in the coming weeks, the university would create more opportunities for community members to ask questions and hear directly from leaders. He also said that Cornell would fully support legislative efforts to change New York's s*xual assault laws and promised that this would not be a passing moment.

At the end of the clip, the president clarified that the administration would continue taking every necessary step to make Cornell an institution that leads not only in words but also in actions to address these issues. He stressed that Cornell must set the example because the university owes it to Jane Doe and to all survivors of assault to handle this correctly.

Read more about the Cornell 7 case: "Well, I don't know that much about it": Donald Trump addressed Cornell University assault allegations.

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