Former Cornell fraternity members, dragged into scandal, ask university to clear their names
Former Cornell Fraternity Members Seek to Clear Their Names
Wertynews.com – Former Cornell fraternity members dragged into an online scandal are asking the university to publicly confirm that they were not involved in allegations tied to the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. The graduates say they had already left Cornell when the alleged incident occurred.
The former students completed their studies in 2022 and 2023. According to their attorney, online posts wrongly connected them to the case, leading to harassment, threats and professional consequences.
Request for a public clarification
Attorney Adam Ford sent Cornell a letter on Oct. 3 requesting a statement that would distinguish the graduates from people who may have participated in a Snapchat group chat discussed in a civil lawsuit. The request does not seek the names of anyone in that chat.
“We understand that federal privacy law limits what Cornell may say about individual students, and we are not asking Cornell to identify anyone who was in the group chat,” Ford wrote. “We are asking for the opposite: a public confirmation as to who was not.”
Ford wrote that the former Chi Phi members he represents were not enrolled at Cornell during the fall 2024 semester and did not belong to the Snapchat chat at issue. The Former Cornell fraternity members dragged into the public controversy say this distinction is central to correcting the record.
Allegations connected to the lawsuit
The dispute stems from a lawsuit filed in September by a woman identified as Jane Doe. She sued Cornell, Chi Phi and several men, alleging that she was pressured to take ketamine and was sexually assaulted at the fraternity house.
The lawsuit describes a message allegedly sent to a Chi Phi Snapchat chat on the night of the reported assault. According to the complaint, the message suggested that a woman was available for sex in a room at the house, and the alleged events that followed lasted for hours.
No criminal charges were filed by the local district attorney at the time of the reported incident. New York Attorney General Letitia James was later appointed special counsel to investigate the matter.
Online accusations and alleged fallout
Ford said a website created to identify people allegedly associated with the reported rape listed his clients among former Chi Phi members. The listing was removed after he sent a cease-and-desist letter on Oct. 2.
He also said a podcaster deleted a social-media post suggesting that the graduates were part of the relevant group chat after receiving a similar letter. The Former Cornell fraternity members dragged into those posts maintain that they had no connection to the chat or the alleged incident.
The attorney’s letter described threatening messages sent to the graduates, including “I will find you,” “you will never know peace” and “all 57 men of the fraternity deserve public execution.” Ford also said some of the men faced consequences from employers or higher-education institutions, including being placed on leave.
“Most of them have had their employers and higher education institutions take adverse actions against them, including being placed on leave,” Ford wrote.
Why Cornell is being asked to respond
Ford addressed the letter to Brian White, Cornell’s vice president and general counsel. He argued that the university is uniquely able to clarify whether the former members were enrolled during the relevant period.
The proposed statement would confirm that Chi Phi members who were not Cornell students in fall 2024 were not part of the “Chi Phi Actives” Snapchat group chat. The request is intended to separate former graduates from people potentially connected to the allegations without identifying anyone who was in the chat.
FAQ for the Cornell community
What are the former students asking Cornell to do? They want Cornell to publicly state that former Chi Phi members who were not enrolled in fall 2024 were not part of the relevant Snapchat group chat.
Are the former students asking Cornell to identify current students? No. Their attorney said the request is limited to confirming who was not involved, rather than naming people who may have participated in the chat.
Why does enrollment status matter? The graduates say they had finished school before the alleged October 2024 incident, making their status as former students important to their request for clarification.