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'Damage control': Phone calls, records suggest some Cornell frat brothers tried to contain 'gang rape' allegations: ABC News
Text messages and campus records show some Chi Phi members tried to manage fallout after Jane Doe reported a rape allegation, while Cornell suspended the fraternity and expelled two men.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James last week to oversee the criminal investigation into sexual assault allegations at Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity.
- Following an October 19, 2024, incident at the Chi Phi house, fraternity members exchanged texts and calls described in records as "damage control," with a group chat of nearly 60 members discussing how to contain fallout after Jane Doe reported the encounter.
- Cornell investigators reviewed communications where fraternity member Matthew Ingalls allegedly pressured a witness to "submit new evidence," while Doe recorded calls describing the event as a "gang rape" before reporting to Cornell Police on November 8, 2024.
- Cornell's internal investigation, lasting November 2024 through May 2025, resulted in two men being expelled and others suspended, as Doe testified the brothers attempted to orchestrate coverups to protect their reputations.
- The intervention follows criticism of Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten for initially suggesting the alcohol-fueled encounter was consensual, marking a major escalation in state oversight regarding sexual assault allegations.
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution70% Center
Bias Distribution
- 70% of the sources are Center
70% Center
L 30%
C 70%
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