Cornell Leader Questioned Allegation as Ex-fraternity President Exits Suit
WHO:
NY Post - An unidentified University of Arizona student reported an alleged sexual assault involving two men.
CNN - A 19-year-old woman identified as Jane Doe sued Alpha Delta Phi Inc. and the Chicago Society of Alpha Delta Phi; her attorney, Georgia Booth, said Doe does not attend the University of Chicago.
ABC News - Jane Doe is a former Cornell student who alleged she was gang-raped at a fraternity house.
ABC News - Doe said she felt “unsupported and disbelieved” by Cornell’s president.
BBC News - Cornell’s president is the subject of Doe’s allegation that he doubted her gang-rape account; Cornell disputed that characterization.
US Magazine - Orazio Petito is a former president of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity.
WHAT:
NY Post - A search-warrant affidavit says the University of Arizona student woke up half-naked as two men assaulted her inside the Sigma Phi Epsilon house.
NY Post - The actual identity of Chi Phi’s chapter president at the time of the alleged assault remains unclear.
CBS News US - The sexual assault allegations surfaced two weeks after the University of Arizona suspended activities for all 21 of its fraternities amid reports of misconduct.
NY Post - The University of Arizona student told campus police she had consensually kissed one of the men but did not remember agreeing to sex.
CNN - Doe’s lawsuit alleges that a fraternity member sexually assaulted her at an Alpha Delta Phi party, and that she became “unsteady and lightheaded” after accepting a shot of unidentified alcohol. The suit says she was unable to refuse, pleaded with the man to use a condom, and was left unconscious after he allegedly penetrated her without consent.
CNN - The lawsuit alleges fraternity members initially blocked Doe’s friend from checking on her; the friend later found her unconscious and helped her leave. The complaint says Doe reported the incident to Chicago police the next morning.
CNN - The lawsuit claims the fraternity failed to follow its conduct rules, including requirements for sober event monitors and protections against sexual assault by members. It seeks information from the University of Chicago with a view to potentially adding the university as a defendant; the university is not currently named.
CNN - In a separate report, a 21-year-old woman said she was sexually assaulted at another nearby fraternity house, and the university said a person of interest was banned from campus.
ABC News - Doe said she felt “unsupported and disbelieved” by Cornell’s president regarding her allegation.
BBC News - Doe said Cornell’s president doubted her gang-rape allegation. Cornell called that characterization “incorrect.”
BBC News - A no-confidence vote concerning Cornell’s president was looming.
US Magazine - Petito was dropped from Doe’s civil lawsuit after being mistakenly identified as the Chi Phi chapter president at the time of the alleged assault.
US Magazine - The lawsuit alleges that seven fraternity members gang-raped Doe.
WHERE:
NY Post - The alleged assault was reported at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house.
CNN - The alleged February assault was reported at a residence on the 5700 block of South University Avenue in Chicago.
ABC News - The alleged gang rape took place at a fraternity house.
US Magazine - The fraternity involved was Cornell University’s Chi Phi chapter.
WHEN:
NY Post - The University of Arizona student said the incident occurred on August 26.
CNN - The lawsuit alleges the assault occurred February 7; Chicago police said a woman reported an assault around 1 a.m. February 8.
CNN - The separate assault report involved an incident on October 11. The University of Chicago scheduled a public safety meeting for Wednesday night.
ABC News - The alleged assault was described as occurring in 2024.
US Magazine - Petito was removed from the lawsuit on Tuesday, October 20.
WHY:
CBS News US - The University of Arizona suspended activities for all 21 fraternities amid reports of misconduct.
CNN - The lawsuit alleges Doe was unable to consent after becoming unsteady and lightheaded from the alcohol.
US Magazine - Petito was removed because he had been mistakenly identified as chapter president at the time of the alleged assault.
HOW:
NY Post - The University of Arizona student said she did not remember agreeing to sex after kissing one of the men.
CNN - Chicago police said the incident remained under investigation; the complaint says Doe went to a hospital after reporting the assault.
US Magazine - Petito was removed from Doe’s civil lawsuit after the mistaken identification was determined.
(UPDATED October 22, 2026 00:07 UTC)
Three separate sexual-assault cases involve fraternity houses at the University of Arizona, the University of Chicago and Cornell. In Arizona, a student told campus police she woke up half-naked at a Sigma Phi Epsilon house after consensually kissing one man, but did not remember agreeing to sex with either man. The allegations surfaced after the university suspended activities for all 21 fraternities amid misconduct reports. In Chicago, a 19-year-old woman who does not attend the University of Chicago sued Alpha Delta Phi and its Chicago society. Her lawsuit alleges a member assaulted her after she became lightheaded from a shot of alcohol, and that fraternity members initially blocked her friend from checking on her. She reported the incident to police the next morning. Separately, a former Cornell student alleges seven Chi Phi members gang-raped her.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 21:18 UTC)
Two women have reported sexual assaults tied to fraternity houses, in separate cases in Arizona and Chicago. In Chicago, a 19-year-old identified as Jane Doe is suing Alpha Delta Phi and its Chicago society, alleging a member assaulted her at a party after she became unsteady and lightheaded from a shot of alcohol. The lawsuit says she could not consent, was left unconscious, and was later found by a friend. Doe reported the incident to police the next morning; investigators said it remains under investigation. The complaint also alleges fraternity members failed to follow safety rules, and seeks information from the University of Chicago, which is not currently a defendant. Separately, an Arizona student told campus police she consensually kissed a man but did not remember agreeing to sex. The report surfaced after the university suspended activities for all 21 fraternities amid misconduct reports.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 15:03 UTC)
Sexual assault allegations have surfaced involving the University of Arizona’s fraternities. The allegations emerged two weeks after the university suspended activities for all 21 fraternities. The suspension followed reports of misconduct.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 14:05 UTC)
A 19-year-old woman identified as Jane Doe is suing Alpha Delta Phi and its Chicago chapter, alleging a fraternity member sexually assaulted her at a party after she became unsteady and lightheaded from a shot of alcohol and was unable to consent. The lawsuit says the alleged assault happened at a residence on the 5700 block of South University Avenue, that fraternity members initially kept her friend from checking on her, and that the friend later found her unconscious; Doe reported the incident to Chicago police the next morning, and her attorney says she does not attend the University of Chicago, which is not currently named in the suit. Separately, an unidentified University of Arizona student told campus police she had consensually kissed a man at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house but did not remember agreeing to sex, while the University of Chicago says a person of interest was banned from campus after a separate assault report.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 01:29 UTC)
A former Cornell student says she felt unsupported and disbelieved by the university’s president after alleging she was gang-raped by seven fraternity members at the Chi Phi house in 2024; Cornell disputes her account of the president’s response. A no-confidence vote concerning the president was looming. Orazio Petito, a former Chi Phi president, was dropped from the civil lawsuit after being mistakenly identified as chapter president at the time of the alleged assault.