Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced Monday that his office is reopening a criminal investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.

The decision follows a civil lawsuit filed earlier this month by the alleged victim, identified as Jane Doe, which detailed claims of being plied with alcohol and drugs including ketamine before being assaulted by seven fraternity members. The lawsuit also alleged that members used a Snapchat group chat to encourage others to participate.

Van Houten stated that the allegations in the civil complaint differ significantly from the woman's November 2024 statement to police. In that earlier account, she described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual. He said his office would present the case to a grand jury to determine if charges are warranted.

"I have been asked by the community to revisit the decision whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members," Van Houten said in a statement. "Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence."

The seven named defendants in the lawsuit are Scott Kretzschmar, Scott Norris, Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, and Diego Sarabia. Cornell University said it supports the decision to take the matter before a grand jury. The school noted that it conducted its own investigation, expelled some students, suspended others, and has kept the Chi Phi chapter barred from campus since 2024.

The original police investigation in 2024 did not result in criminal charges. Van Houten explained that his office relied on the campus police report at the time and did not receive the group chat evidence mentioned in the lawsuit.

The case has drawn renewed attention amid the civil filing and public criticism of how both the university and prosecutors handled the matter initially. Cornell maintains that it imposed meaningful sanctions and rejects suggestions that those involved faced only minimal consequences.