New details have emerged regarding the alleged rape case involving Cornell University, shedding light on the statements made by those involved in the incident in the weeks following it.
CBS News New York has acquired a Title IX document from a reliable source, which contains the account of Jane Doe, testimonies from six of the seven men named in the lawsuit, and statements from 20 witnesses.
In the document, a student who attended a gathering at the Chi Phi house on the night of the alleged assault in 2024 reported receiving a phone call the following day from one of the accused individuals. This call occurred just before a sorority event.
The student claimed that the man requested her to ensure that a mutual friend did not “say anything that she thinks might’ve happened last night,” adding that another member of the fraternity was “really concerned.”
Initially, the student did not think much of the call, interpreting it as an indication of the man’s embarrassment and a desire to prevent rumors from circulating.
According to the record, she conveyed the message to her friend, who was later interviewed by investigators.
This friend mentioned that the man’s comments became significant weeks later when Cornell issued a campus crime alert, saying, “It makes a lot more sense,” and described the situation as “very concerning.”
Both the friend and her roommate ultimately approached Cornell Police. The friend stated that she submitted a witness statement but expressed uncertainty about its fate, saying, “I’m pretty sure I don’t know what they did with that.”
The Title IX document obtained by CBS News New York does not mention what happened to that witness statement.
Initially, Cornell indicated that it had shared all investigative materials with the Tompkins County district attorney’s office. However, it later revised its FAQ to clarify that it had only provided “the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot.” The district attorney confirmed to CBS News New York that he received only Jane Doe’s statement from 2024 and a Snapchat video.
During the investigation, when asked if he had spoken to the first student about that night, the accused man denied having any such conversation. However, a month later, he amended his statement to say that he “did talk to her at one point when she visited about not spreading any rumors.”
Earlier in the same interview, the document reveals that when discussing how the fraternity brothers dealt with rumors, he stated, “We were just in the idea of just deny.”
Although the district attorney initially opted not to file charges against any of the accused individuals, the investigation has now been reopened.
